TH Echemicalengineer: Seeking Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

september 2020 Issue 951
The Chemical Engineer

CHEMICAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING NEWS AND VIEWS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE INSTITUTION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
seeking equality, diversity & inclusion

PLUS BEIRUT DEVASTATED / REFINING AFTER THE FIRE / FOOD SAFETY / LOCKDOWN HAZOP
cover951v4 DG.indd 1 19/08/2020 16:00

—
TR AINING COURSES
ABB Technical Training Courses

September - December 2020
ABB has a worldwide reputation as
a leader in process safety, integrity
management and technical
engineering services. We provide
technical consulting and engineering
services to improve performance in
the areas of compliance, operations
and engineering to customers in the
chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas,
pharmaceutical, power and other
process industries worldwide.
—
Our approach to improving business
Virtual Classrooms, Virtual training courses
Face to Face courses effectiveness through sound personal
and e-Learning for
2-4 Sep Essentials of Pressure Systems
competence is born of a real need for technical
2020 7-9 Sep Achieved SIL
training of professional engineers within high
14-16 Sep Essentials of Rotating Equipment
hazard industries. We continue to adapt our
18-Sep SIL Awareness for C/E Technicians
training approach to incorporate changes in
22-Sep Layer of Protection Analysis Awareness
both legislation and industry good practices.
28 Sep-01 Oct Pressure Relief
Virtual training courses 2020 06-Oct Deep Dive Audits & Assessments
In the current circumstances, we at ABB are 8-9 Oct Mechanical Legislation Awareness
committed to providing our customers with 12-15 Oct Effective Alarm Management
world class technical training. Considering this, 19-21 Oct Design and Operation of Piping Systems
we would like to offer our current training 10-12 Nov Asset Integrity Management
catalogue as virtual classrooms (webinars). 16-18 Nov Area Classification
This will allow our customers to receive the 23-26 Nov Pressure Relief
same training but in the safety of their own 30 Nov-01 Dec Electrical Awareness (New)
office / home, all that is required is access to a 7-11 Dec Hazard Study Leaders
computer and the internet.
Face to Face training course
28 Sep-02 Oct Process Safety Mangement Best Practice
Face to Face training courses 2020
To enable us to provide our full catalogue,
All our courses are prepared and run by
some of our training courses will continue to
practicing engineers and consultants with many
be provided via face to face classroom format.
years’ experience.
The training will be carried out following all UK
—
Government and ABB COVID-19 guidelines.
For more information please contact:
For e-Learning course
please register at: email: jackie.kendall@gb.abb.com
https://mylearning.
e-Learning training course
tel:+44(0)1642 372021
abb.com (An ABB ABB also offers a Mechanical Legislation
Portal account https:// or visit our website: ABB Events
myportal.abb.com is
Awareness e-Learning course, covering the
required to set up a EU’s Machinery Directive and the UK’s Supply
MyLearning account) www.abb.com
of Machinery (Safety) Regulations.
Contents, Issue 951
september 2020
20 24
36 food
30 40 In this second instalment, Tony Hasting
discusses process and equipment design
for food safety
40 safety
Conor Crowley on adapting to conduct
HAZOPs amidst a pandemic
44 ccs
In this fifth article on energy-saving
options, Tom Baxter looks at the par-
asitic load challenge of CCS
49 circular economy
News Features Mark Vester on what is standing in the
way of us closing the loop on plastic
3 Editor’s comment 20 equality, diversity 52 vendor viewpoint

Adam Duckett on the need to engage & inclusion Simon Jagers and Gerben Gooijers
with equality, diversity and inclusion Macsene Isles-Ahite shares her vision discuss how machine learning is
for an equal, diverse and inclusive boosting plant reliability
4 News: in numbers IChemE, and calls for the community
to pull together
56 volunteer SPOTLIGHT
6 News: in brief Tan Geok Chai on volunteering as
8 News: in depth 24 vaccines Southern Regional Ambassador for

Timothy Clayton reviews the myriad IChemE
Ammonium nitrate blast devas-
of considerations faced by IChemE
tates Beirut; First global standard
launched for safer mining waste;
volunteers seeking to
successful vaccine production
support Regulars
BP outlines plans for achieving net
zero, including 40% production cuts
58 book review
30 refining
by 2030; UK invests £100m to accel-
Shahidan Laili and M Safwan Atan
60 NEWS: IChemE
erate vaccine manufacture
explain how engineers reacted to 61 letters
14 News: round-up losing a crucial piece of their complex
on startup of a new world-scale refin-
62 training and events
18 News: R&D ery run by Petronas and Saudi Aramco 64 Residue
SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 1
contentstofill DG.indd 1 19/08/2020 16:35

Online training – keep
learning remotely
IChemE has a wide range of online training courses available to help you continue learning in these unprecedented times.
Many of our most popular topics are now being offered as modular online courses. These consist of live interactive
sessions with the trainer, and pre-recorded video sessions for independent study before/between sessions.
Hazard Identification Techniques HAZOP Leadership & Management

Modules start 3 September, 10:00 BST Modules start 22 September, 14:00 BST
Learn the principles, advantages and limitations of key techniques Learn how to effectively lead, manage and organise a HAZOP study team
www.icheme.org/live-hazard-id www.icheme.org/live-hazop
What Engineers Need to Know About Contracts Process Safety Leadership & Culture
Understand contract law for engineering and construction projects Understand the role of leadership in process safety
www.icheme.org/live-contracts www.icheme.org/live-safety-leadership
Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) HAZOP Study for Team Leaders and Team Members
Learn the methodology and detailed application of LOPA An integrated course for team members and new team leaders
www.icheme.org/live-lopa www.icheme.org/live-hazop-team
Human Factors in Health and Safety – Module One: Managing Consequence Modelling Techniques
Human Factors Modules start 1 October, 10:00 BST
Modules start 14 September, 09:00 BST Learn to predict accident effects and their impact on people and property
Explore the key human factors concepts within risk management www.icheme.org/live-consequence-modelling
www.icheme.org/live-human-factors Human Factors in Health and Safety – Module Two:
Fundamentals of Process Safety Managing Human Failure
Modules start 16 September, 10:00 BST Modules start 12 October, 09:00 BST
Expand your knowledge of key process safety principles and their Explore how to proactively manage human errors and non-compliance
management www.icheme.org/live-human-failure
www.icheme.org/live-fundamentals
Six Pillars of Process Safety
Engineering Project Management Modules start 20 October, 10:00 BST
Modules start 21 September, 14:00 BST Understand process safety best practice and how it impacts your
Understand best practice when managing engineering projects organisation
www.icheme.org/live-project-management www.icheme.org/live-six-pillars
On-demand training:
Our library of on-demand training courses is a more bite-sized approach to
MB0240_20
online learning, featuring one-hour modules. These are ready to purchase and
download today, visit www.icheme.org/shop to see the full range.
Online training FP AD SEP.indd 2 19/08/2020 15:28

Editor’s comment
Engage with ED&I

adam duckett
T
HE Black Lives Matter movement has, around the recognises that ED&I is everyone’s concern and responsibility.
world, catalysed introspection about systematic bar- The process safety analogy is a useful one because by exten-
riers to equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I). At sion while everyone has a stake in its success, some have
this time, our community too must look at our own practices greater influence to accelerate its progress. The same holds
and ask how successful we are in creating an institution and true of ED&I.
profession that is open to all, and what action we must take In her book So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo asks
to improve. the reader to examine the power and access they have to change
In this issue, IChemE Trustee and ED&I Champion Macsene the systems that disadvantage others. She urges us to leverage
Isles-Ahite shares her vision for an inclusive IChemE, explores what privilege we have to benefit those who do not share it.
how a cycle of oppression can be broken by educating people This magazine has published articles from authors sepa-
– especially those in positions of influence – and reviews rately discussing gender equality, the challenges of being a gay
IChemE’s ongoing efforts and future plans for positive change. engineer, and of being an autistic engineer. But we can and
As you will read, a key step towards improvement will be engag- must do more. This magazine will work with colleagues and
ing members, asking them to tell us more about themselves so member volunteers to identify how we can better represent
we can better understand the diversity of our community and the diversity of voices that make up our community. And in
representation among volunteer communities. This in turn will an effort to spread awareness on ED&I, we will actively engage
enable us to prioritise plans to improve, measure success, and with and report on the coming efforts being championed by
better support members. trustees and colleagues.
And if further justification were needed to support ED&I, Please read Macsene Isles-Ahite’s article, please engage,
we can point to studies showing that diverse teams are more and if you are in a position to bring about positive change,
innovative and productive. whether as a volunteer or through your employment, please
In the UK, having reviewed its own data, in July the Royal take action.
Academy of Engineering (RAEng) announced measures to
address underrepresentation within its community. The acad-
emy consists of 6.4% female engineers and 6.5% black, Asian
and minority ethnic engineers, compared to the 12% and 9%
respectively reported in the 2020 Office for National Statistics
(ONS) Labour Force Survey.
Jim McDonald, President of the RAEng said the Academy’s
relevance, credibility and impact are dependent on diversity
and embodying all dimensions of engineering excellence.
However, the RAEng noted there is no equivalent data I welcome reader feedback and comment. To share your views, please
for LGBT+ and disabled engineers, framing the gaps in email: letters@icheme.org
knowledge that persist and the need for us to better understand
our communities.
Discussing shortfalls in information, my colleague Alana Statements and opinions expressed in The Chemical Engineer
Collis who is helping to spearhead efforts on ED&I, said that are the responsibility of the editor. Unless described as such,
as well as gathering evidence, our success, much like in pro- they do not represent the views or policies of the Institution of
cess safety, will also depend on establishing a culture that Chemical Engineers.
catalyst951 DG.indd 3 19/08/2020 16:59

News
IN NUMBERS Renewables produce more energy
than fossil fuels in EU
For the first six months of 2020, clean energy sources generated more
electricity than fossil fuels in the EU. According to climate thinktank Ember,
wind, solar, hydro and bioenergy generated 40% of electricity and
surpassed fossil fuel generation – which accounted for 34% of electricity
– for the first time. Wind and solar alone contributed 21% to the energy
Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
mix. Renewable electricity generation increased by 11% despite the

fall in electricity demand by 7% due to Covid-19 shutdowns. Fossil fuel
generation fell by 18% and coal-fired power generation fell by 34%.
Renewables beat fossil fuels: EU-27 electricity generation

50
% OF TOTAL ELECTRICITY GENERATION
40 RENEWABLES
FOSSIL FUELS
30
Corteva fined US$3m
for pollution at former WIND AND SOLAR
DuPont site 20
In 2014, 11,000 kg of methyl COAL

10
mercaptan was released at a facility
in La Porte, Texas, which killed
four workers. The facility was then 0
owned by DuPont, which was fined 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 H1-2020
US$3.1m by the Environmental Source: Ember Climate

Protection Agency (EPA) in 2018
for violating the risk management
programme (RMP), as the piping
Extra university places for UK
had not been maintained properly.
Corteva, which now owns the site
engineering students
following a spinoff from DuPont, The UK’s Department for Education has
is now being fined an additional announced more than 9,000 additional
US$3.195m by the EPA for university places for courses that deliver vital
violations of the Clean Air Act, services such as engineering, science, and
the Clean Water Act, and the nursing. Institutions were given the opportunity to
federal hazardous waste law. The bid for up to 10,000 additional places: 5,000 for
settlement will allow a full cleanup healthcare and 5,000 for courses of strategic
of the pollution from the facility, importance. More than 1,300 places have now
which never reopened following been allocated for engineering students, 756 for
the accident. biosciences, and almost 500 for mathematics.
numbers951 DG.indd 4 19/08/2020 16:38

news in numbers
Funding boost for fossil fuels as part

of Covid-19 economic recovery
Energy Policy Tracker, a new collaboration launched
to monitor climate- and energy-related policies,
Five-year climate prediction
has analysed more than 200 policies related to A new international science collaboration led by
Covid-19 economic recovery from G20 countries. the UK’s Met Office and coordinated by the World
G20 countries are responsible for 80% of global Meteorological Organization has released a five-
emissions, but despite this are still committing at year climate prediction using computer models from
least US$168.68bn of support to the fossil ten climate centres around the world. The forecast
fuel industry as part of Covid-19 economic recovery predicts that there is a 20% chance that the
packages. Of this, at least US$121.64bn has annual mean global temperature will temporarily
been committed to “unconditional” oil and gas – reach 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels in at least
which the policy tracker defines as policies with one year over the next five years. This chance will
no climate targets or reduction requirements – and increase with time. It also says that in 2020, the
at least US$10.20bn has been committed to Arctic is likely to have warmed by more than twice the
unconditional coal. Clean energy has received up global mean temperature and that large areas in the
to US$137.33bn, with only US$50.04bn Northern Hemisphere are likely to be 0.8oC warmer
being allocated to the cleanest energies such as wind compared to the 1981–2010 average. Many parts
and solar power. The policy tracker is updated of South America, southern Africa, and Australia are
weekly and also lists policies where the funding likely to be drier in 2020 than in the recent past. The
amount was unspecified. climate predictions will be updated annually.
600m t of plastic in oceans by 2040

An analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ found that if
no action is taken to reduce plastic waste, then the amount of plastic
entering the oceans could increase from 11m t/y to 29m t/y
by 2040. This would lead to a cumulative amount of 600m of
plastic in the oceans in 2040. The report found that current policies
600m t to reduce plastic waste would only reduce the amount of plastic going
of ocean to the oceans by 7% by 2040. The report also identifies eight

solutions that could be implemented to reduce plastic waste by
plastic by 80%, including using plastic alternatives and designing products and
2040 packaging for recycling. These measures could also cut plastic-related
emissions by 25% and generate US$70bn in savings.
numbers951 DG.indd 5 19/08/2020 16:38

LesPalenik / Shutterstock.com NEWS IN BRIEF
solutions, and carbon capture and storage.

These large-scale investments will help
restart the EU economy and create a green
recovery that leads us to climate neutrality
in 2050.”
The deadline for submissions is 29
October. For more information on applying
see: https://bit.ly/3kWGMKg
Pairing up to split
water
AIR Products and Thyssenkrupp Uhde
Chlorine Engineers have signed a strategic
cooperation agreement (SCA) to collabo-
rate on electrolysis plants to generate green
sunny side: plant to be hydrogen.
solar powered by 2024 Thyssenkrupp will use its industrial-scale
electrolysis technology in plants to be built
and owned by Air Products. Thyssenkrupp
SABIC chemical plant will be 100% will supply engineering, equipment, and
technical services for the water electrolysis
solar-powered plants, allowing Air Products to use green
hydrogen as an energy carrier for transpor-
SABIC’S polycarbonate facility in Cartagena, Spain, is set to become the world’s tation, chemicals, and power generation.
first large-scale chemical production site powered fully by renewable energy, Denis Krude, CEO at Thyssenkrupp Uhde
the chemicals firm says. Chlorine Engineers, said: “Already today,
Utility firm Iberdrola will build a 100 MW solar PV facility with 263,000 panels we are set to supply one gigawatt for water
on land owned by SABIC. The plant will cost €70m (US$84m), will reduce emissions electrolysis plants per year, and we are
by 800,000 t/and is expected to be fully operational in 2024. prepared to ramp up the capacity in this
Last year, SABIC’s indirect emissions from generating the power it uses was rapidly-evolving market.”
equivalent to 20m t of CO2, while those directly from its operations were 39m t.
A major challenge for chemicals firms seeking more sustainable operations is
switching away from the fossil resources used as the feedstocks for most of their Aramco reorganises
products. Polycarbonate is typically made by processing naphtha from crude oil.
SABIC plans to have 4 GW of either wind or solar energy installed for its sites
downstream business
globally by 2025, rising to 12 GW by 2030. SAUDI Aramco has announced that it is
reorganising its downstream business as
part of plans to enhance the efficiency of
the existing downstream assets.
EU seeks proposals for Iceland, and Norway can apply for the fund- Aramco’s downstream business focusses
€1bn cleantech fund ing, and projects will be evaluated based

on technology maturity, scaleup potential,
on creating growth opportunities across the
hydrocarbon chain as demand for petro-
THE EU Commission has launched a call cost efficiency, and the ability to reduce chemical products grows, and also makes
for proposals for its €1bn (US$1.1bn) Inno- emissions. the company more resilient to changes in
vation Fund for large-scale low-carbon Between 2020 and 2030, around €10bn oil prices.
technologies, including energy storage and will be allocated to projects from the Inno- The restructure will create four com-
carbon capture. vation Fund, with revenue provided by the mercial business units: fuels; chemicals;
The funding will help projects with EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the power; and pipelines, distributions, and
large-scale demonstration and commer- world’s largest carbon pricing system. terminals. Fuels includes refining, trad-
cialisation. For projects not yet ready for Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice- ing, retail, and lubricants. The business
the market, an additional €8m in fund- President of the EU Commission, said: units will be supported by three corporate
ing is available. Eligible sectors in the EU, “We will also support energy storage, grid functions: manufacturing; strategy and
NIB951 DG.indd 6 19/08/2020 16:08

NEWS IN BRIEF
assets so it can focus on core operations,

Correction and to decarbonise its business, the com-
pany said.
Across the web
In the obituary for John Solbett (p58,
issue 947) we mistakenly wrote that Air Liquide said it will invest around
he was one of the first people to €440m (US$530m) and in coordination Virtual labs
develop a flowsheet “incorporating with Sasol is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions
Acquiring practical skills is a very
SO2 removal from the main process from the oxygen-production operations by
important part of learning out-
gas stream before the final stages 30–40% by 2030. This includes modernis-
comes in any chemical engineering
of catalytic conversion”. This should ing the units, using digitalisation techniques
degree, write Jarka Glassey and
have said “SO3 removal”. It has been to optimise operation, and investing in
Fernão Magalhães in their introuc-
corrected in the PDF and web-page 600 MW of renewable energy.
tion to a new collection of articles
versions of the story.
published in IChemE journal Edu-
Ineos launches new cation for Chemical Engineers. With

regular opportunites curtailed by
marketing; and affiliate affairs.
The restructuring is expected to be com-
healthcare business Covid-19, the series looks at tools
pleted by the end of the year, and follows its INEOS has launched Ineos Hygienics as part already tested in education for the
acquisition earlier this year of a 70% stake in of its pandemic response to produce hand delivery of practical skills through
Saudi-chemicals firm SABIC. gel and sanitiser sprays at scale. online platforms inlcuding virtual
Ineos is Europe’s largest producer of labs. The collection is free for all to
ultra-high purity ethanol and isopropyl access until 11 November:
Air Liquide buys largest alcohol, two main ingredients in sanitisers, https://bit.ly/3iXLJRw
oxygen operation and began producing its own hand sanitiser

in March. It constructed two plants in the
AIR LIQUIDE is buying the world’s largest UK and Germany within ten days and since Presidential review
oxygen production site – from Sasol in South then has delivered more than 4m bottles to In this YouTube address, IChemE
Africa – and has committed to reducing CO2 hospitals globally. President Stephen Richardson
emissions from the operations by 30%. Ineos Hygienics will produce a range of talks about his aspirations for the
The 17 air separation units at Sasol’s site hospital-grade hand gels, sanitiser sprays, Institution as he approaches the
in Secunda produce 42,000 t/d of oxygen for and surface wipes for both hospitals and the half-way mark of his presidency:
use in synthetic fuels and chemicals pro- public in line with World Health Organization
https://youtu.be/ye4-Rg8IFMI
duced from coal. Air Liquide built all 17 units recommendations. The new business will be
over the last 40 years, but to date operated headquartered in the UK and will have man-
only one of them – the largest – which ufacturing plants at Newton Aycliffe in the
started operations in 2018. UK, Herne in Germany, Etain in France, and
Chemeng careers
The sale by Sasol is part of efforts to sell Jacksonville and Neville Island in the US. In the latest in her series showcasing
the varied careers of chemical engi-
neers, Yasmin Ali interviews Sara
clean sweep: ineos’ new business will Penrose, about her journey from
produce a range of sanitising products alkyd and polyester plant manager
to professional artist:
https://bit.ly/3hcWy1g
Alternatives to hydrogen
Tom Baxter offers an alternative
view for how the UK can achieve net
zero for housing and other users,
without the wholesale use of hydro-
gen, in particular for heating and
electricity generation:
https://bit.ly/2Q6fHGr
Ineos
NIB951 DG.indd 7 19/08/2020 16:08

Hussein Malla/AP/Shutterstock
NEWS in depth
risk & safety
Ammonium nitrate explosion

causes devastation in Beirut
Long-term unsafe storage suspected as likely cause
The explosion of 2,750 t of ammonium from the site, the colour being character- in the port since 2014 without any safety
nitrate in Beirut, Lebanon, has injured istic of nitrogen dioxide. measures in place. The ammonium
at least 6,000 people and left 300,000 The shockwave shattered windows as nitrate had been impounded from a ship
homeless. Reports vary on the number far away as Beirut International Airport, that brought it into the port in 2013.
of dead, estimated to be between 178 and which is 9 km from the port, and signif- According to a 2014 port authorities
220 at the time of going to press. icant damage was done to buildings near inspection report seen by The Finan-
According to local media and video the port, including one hospital which cial Times, Lebanese officials knew that
footage, the initial explosion occurred at had to shut shown and send patients 1,950 of the 1 t bags were “torn”. Photos
around 18:00 local time on 4 August and elsewhere. The explosion created a from 2015, also seen by The Financial
caused white smoke to rise from a ware- 140 m wide crater, according to the BBC, Times, showed bags piled haphazardly
house in Beirut port. This was followed and the damage to the city is estimated on top of each other with ammonium
by a huge second explosion which sent a to be around US$15bn. nitrate spilling from the ripped bags.
shockwave out from the blast site. A pillar It has been reported that ammonium Anonymous sources told Reuters that
of reddish-brown smoke was seen rising nitrate had been stored at a warehouse the storage issue had been brought
NID1 DG.indd 8 19/08/2020 16:12

NEWS in depth
to the attention of “several commit- which increased the risk of an explosion

tees and judges” and that an inspection once a source of heat was applied.”
team warned six months ago that the The dangers of ammonium nitrate
ammonium nitrate could “blow up all of storage have long been known. Numerous
Beirut”. catastrophic explosions relating to
2 April 1916
The exact cause of the explosion is ammonium nitrate have occurred since
FAVERSHAM, UK
still unknown. A source told Reuters that 1916. Some of these are highlighted in
Munitions factory
a fire started in warehouse 9 on the day of the timeline (right), although as with 150 t NH4NO 3
the explosion before spreading to ware- the Beirut explosion, the numbers differ 115 dead, 64 injured
house 12, which housed the ammonium depending on the source of information.
nitrate. According to The Wall Street
Journal, Lebanese investigators said that
21 September 1921
Tragically we have seen a OPPAU, GERMANY
welding to secure warehouse 12 was
massive explosion in Beirut, but BASF plant
taking place on the day of the explosion.
even worse is that this is the 450–4,500 t NH4NO 3
Ammonium nitrate is primarily used
latest in a long list of ammonium 507–561 dead, 450–1952 injured
for fertiliser. It is not explosive by itself
but can cause explosions under certain nitrate explosions that have
conditions. Ken Patterson, of IChemE’s occurred around the world 16 April 1947
Loss Prevention Bulletin Editorial Panel,
TEXAS CITY, US
Cargo ship
said: “Ammonium nitrate requires a Trish Kerin, Director of the IChemE
1,000–2,300 t NH4NO 3
significant igniter. The video evidence Safety Centre, said: “Tragically we have
500–581 dead, 3,500–5,000 injured
in Beirut showing the fire before the seen a massive explosion in Beirut, but
explosion, with fireworks apparently even worse is that this is the latest in a
exploding all the time, would have long list of ammonium nitrate explo- 28 July 1947
provided an obvious source of ignition sions that have occurred around the BREST, FRANCE
for the ammonium nitrate store.” world. We must do better to learn the
Cargo ship
3,000–3,309 t NH4NO 3
Geoffrey Maitland, Professor of lessons of the past, those lessons are
23–29 dead, 1,100–5,000 injured
Energy Engineering at Imperial College written in blood. This incident reminds
London, said: “[Ammonium nitrate] us of the importance of process safety in
decomposes rapidly to gases, and our workplaces, including storage facil- 21 September 2001
because of the confinement, heat cannot ities. We must implement and manage TOULOUSE, FRANCE
escape, the gases rapidly expand, and the controls to prevent and mitigate the AZote Fertilisant (AZF)
the explosion occurs. This releases an consequences.” 20–300 t NH4NO 3
enormous amount of energy, and sends Wassim Naddi, a process safety
30–31 dead, 2,000–10,000 injured
out a shockwave as the surrounding air and loss prevention engineer and HSE
is rapidly compressed, which propagates Manager at The Coral Oil Company, 17 April 2013
very rapidly over the surrounding area located 1.8 km from the blast site, WEST, TEXAS, US
and does enormous damage to buildings described witnessing the explosion as West Fertilizer Company
and people. This is what seems to have horrifying. Naddi said that there were no 30 t NH4NO 3
happened in Beirut.” strict regulations regarding ammonium 15 dead, 160–260 injured
Maitland said that the long-term nitrate storage in Lebanon and that
storage of the ammonium nitrate could there was a disregard for safety in the 12 August 2015
also have made it susceptible to explo- country. However, he is hopeful that TIANJIN, CHINA
sion. “For instance, if the storage was things will now change. “Before [the Warehouse
not airtight, in the humid conditions of explosion] we used to struggle to make 800 t NH4NO 3
Beirut, the salt could have taken up large people understand safety. Now that most 173 dead, 798 injured
quantities of water from the air which of the people have unfortunately seen it
would cause the granules and pellets to with their own eyes, have lived it, and 4 August 2020
fuse over time into a large consolidated have luckily survived it, it will be easier BEIRUT, LEBANON
mass from which heat and gases from to have this culture of change when it Warehouse
the decomposition could not escape as comes to safety. We hope a transparent 2,750 t NH4NO 3
easily as from a dispersed granular, free- investigation will answer lots of ques- 178–220 dead, 6,000 injured
flowing pile of fine particles. This would tions and aid in enforcing local and
have just added to the confinement effect global prevention measures.” APD
NID1 DG.indd 9 19/08/2020 16:12

NEWS in depth
risk & safety
GTR launches first global standard

for safer mining waste
Experts say it ‘falls short’ and fails to make safety a guiding principle
ON 5 August, the Global Tailings Review under management. A Chair, advisory development of knowledge about
(GTR) initiative established the first panel, and expert panel from academia the social, environmental and local
global standard for safer management and consulting were appointed, and economic context of a proposed or
of tailings storage facilities (TSFs), with through a process involving investiga- existing TSF. This knowledge base,
the launch of the Global Industry Standard tion of tailings management, evaluation which should be regularly updated,
on Tailings Management. The GTR Chair of current best practices and lessons could inform decisions throughout the
has called for effective implementation learned, and extensive public consulta- facility’s lifecycle. For example, for new
across the industry. tion they developed the standard. facilities, the knowledge could be used
Experts have, however, criticised the According to GTR, the new standard to conduct analysis of all feasible sites,
standard, stating that it falls short in its strengthens current mining industry technologies, and strategies for tailings
attempt to improve safety, and fails to practices through an integrated management. The goal of analysis would
make safety a guiding principle. approach. GTR adds that with its be to select alternatives that minimise
Tailings are the waste product of ore ambition for zero harm to people and risk as well as the volume of tailings
processing; a fine slurry made of uneco- the environment, the standard “raises and water placed into external tailings
nomic rock and chemical effluent that is the bar” for industry to achieve strong facilities.
stored in TSFs, such as tailings dams. social, environmental, and technical Another topic area aims to elevate
Following the fatal collapse of a outcomes. performance in the design, construction,
Brazilian tailings dam owned by mining It covers the entire lifecycle of operation, maintenance, monitoring,
giant Vale that killed at least 259 people, TSFs – from site selection, design and and closing of TSFs by minimising risks
GTR was convened by industry body construction, through management of TSFs throughout their lifecycle,
International Council on Mining and and monitoring, to closure and post- and the risks posed to people and the
Metals (ICMM); the United Nations closure – and can be applied to existing environment.
Environment Programme (UNEP); and and future facilities. It comprises 77 An example would be developing and
Principles for Responsible Investment auditable requirements and 15 princi- implementing a water balance model
(PRI), an international investor network, ples, organised around six topic areas. and associated water management plans
representing US$103.4trn in assets One topic area requires the taking into account the knowledge base
NID2 DG xxTWEAKed.indd 10 19/08/2020 16:14

NEWS in depth
and investors to use the standard and to in the present world portfolio.”
continue working together to improve However, Bowker also claimed that
the safety of tailings facilities globally. the preliminary contribution made by
He added: “It is my hope that the standard GTR towards “zero harm” is far better
will be supported by an independent than that of Safety First: Guidelines for
body that can maintain the quality and Responsible Mine Tailings Management,
further refine and strengthen…[it]…over which was released on 30 June. Devel-
time.” oped by an international group of 142
Ligia Noronha, Director of UNEP’s scientists, community groups and NGOs
Economy Division, said that environ- from 24 countries, the guideline claimed
mental and human safety should be to make safety the guiding principle in
a priority for mine tailings facilities, the design, construction, operation, and
adding that the standard “is an important closure of tailings facilities.
milestone towards the ambition of zero Bowker previously said that despite
harm to people and the environment good intentions, the report did an
from tailings facilities”. “awkward, not-very-worthy job of
including climate change, upstream and She added: “In order to maintain delivering this simple message and in all
downstream hydrological and hydro- the integrity of the standard, it is that jumble of text that message is lost”.
geological basins, the mine site, mine crucial that a non-industry organi- David Chambers, an expert who was
planning and overall operations, and the sation identify and pursue the most involved in the development of Safety
integrity of the TSF throughout its lifecy- effective implementation model such First, recognised that the new standard
cle. The water management programme as the establishment of an independent helps to raise the visibility of the
“must” be designed to protect against entity. To this end, UNEP will continue serious need for increased tailings dam
unintentional releases. High water level to engage in dialogue with other inter- safety, but noted its failure to recog-
was one of several factors identified to ested stakeholders to explore potential nise the suggestions made by Safety First.
be responsible for the 2019 collapse of solutions.” Chambers is a geophysicist and Presi-
Vale’s tailings dam. Two documents were independently dent of the Center for Science in Public
Other topic areas are aimed at helping published to accompany the standard: Participation, which provides technical
to ensure that the rights of project- an in-depth compendium of papers expertise on the impacts of mining.
affected people are respected and they exploring various operational and “For example, safety is not explicitly
are meaningfully engaged; improving governance issues related to tailings, stated as the guiding principle in tailings
management and governance of TSFs; and a report on the feedback from the management. The standard acknowl-
ensuring that operators are prepared public consultation. edges mining companies should “take
to respond in the event of failures; and responsibility and prioritise” safety but
establishing expectations around global does not explicitly require that safety
transparency and disclosure require- Expert criticisms take precedent over economic, envi-
ments, to help improve the understanding Lindsay Newland Bowker, said that “the ronmental, and social considerations. If
of interested stakeholders. GTR is an important waypoint but falls economics and safety are given the same
The standard will be integrated into critically short in many key areas of priority, economics will always dominate
ICMM member commitments. Addi- preventing catastrophic loss”. Bowker is the subsequent decision making.”
tionally, member companies have the Executive Director of research insti- Chambers also criticised the fact that
committed to bringing facilities that tute World Mining Tailings Failures. although communities “who bear the
pose high levels of risk to people and She added: “The biggest risk of cata- impacts of tailings dam failures” were
the environment into conformance strophic failure is in existing facilities in consulted, they were not represented in
with the standard within three years current and planned use over the next the process to develop the standard.
of its launch, and all others within five five years which have a high hazard On 25 January, Vale’s Dam 1 of the
years. PRI will develop investor expec- potential rating. The GTR lacks a clear Córrego do Feijão mine, located in Minas
tations to support mining companies plan for identifying and de-risking these Gerais collapsed, releasing a torrent of
in implementing it. UNEP will support facilities, including a plan for financing. 9.7m m3 of muddy slurry which buried
governments wishing to incorporate and That implementation and evaluation will the surrounding area, killing Vale
build upon the standard, into national or not be in control of ICMM or the industry employees, contractors, and members of
state legislation and policies. is a plus and may develop enough infor- a nearby community. As of 28 December
Bruno Oberle, Chair of the GTR, called mation soon enough to better describe 2019, 259 people are confirmed dead
on all mining companies, governments, and better address the high level of risk and 11 people remain missing. AJ
NID2 DG xxTWEAKed.indd 11 19/08/2020 16:14

NEWS in depth
industry
BP outlines net zero ambitions

including 40% production cuts
Plan part of CEO’s push to ‘reinvent’ company
Jon Lyall / Shutterstock.com

FOLLOWING its announcement in
February to become a net zero company
by 2050 or sooner, BP has revealed its net
zero strategy. The plan includes many
shorter-term objectives, including cutting
oil and gas production by 40% by 2030.
Coming as part of CEO Bernard Looney’s
push to “reinvent BP”, the plan includes
increasing low-carbon investment from
current levels of US$500m/y to US$5bn/y
by 2030. This will include investing in
technologies such as bioenergy, hydrogen,
CCS, and renewables. It aims to have
50 GW of renewable energy capacity by
2030, up from 2.5 GW in 2019. Bioenergy
production will grow from 22,000 bbl/d to gas peers have conveniently ignored the from its oil and gas production by selling
100,000 bbl/d. global need to produce and use less oil and operations to other companies, that
It will partner with cities and core gas – BP’s production cut of 40% by 2030 won’t slow global warming. But other
industries to increase decarbonisation makes them unquestionably the industry investor-owned companies also are feeling
efforts, and has committed to no new leader. The question now is, as investors the pressure to reduce emissions to net
exploration in new countries. have clearly shown what they want, who zero, and oil and gas assets are not the
Crucially, it plans to reduce oil and gas else will follow BP’s leadership?” appealing purchases they might have been
production by 40% by 2030, equivalent to Activist investor group Follow This a decade or so ago.”
reducing its production from 2.6m boe/d to applauded BP’s strategy, calling BP the Mulvey said that there were still ques-
1.5m boe/d. Refining throughput will also first oil major to truly change course. Mark tions on BP’s strategy, which she hoped
decrease from 1.7m bbl/d to 1.2m bbl/d. It van Baal, Founder of Follow This, said would be answered at a coming share-
has also committed to reducing emis- that BP is showing a sense of urgency and holder meeting in September. This includes
sions from operations by 30–35%, and imagination beyond oil and gas, unlike what assumptions are made on the feasi-
reducing emissions from upstream oil and other oil majors who want to appear as if bility and costs of CCS; if BP will set firm
gas production by 35–40%. It also plans to they are taking the energy transition seri- targets where it can be held accountable
reduce the carbon intensity of its products ously but in reality want to remain as oil by investors and policy makers; and how
by 15% by 2030. and gas companies. However, comment- the company defines “low carbon” and if it
Looney said: “All of this means we ing on BP’s commitment to not explore is erroneously counting fossil fuels as low
aim to be a very different company by for oil and gas in new countries, van Baal carbon.
2030. And that’s what the world needs. said that BP also needs to cease exploring Bruce Baizel, Energy Program Director
The next decade is critical in the fight where it already has operations in order to at Earthworks, said government must hold
against climate change. We believe this meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. the oil and gas industry to account.
new strategy provides a comprehensive Kathy Mulvey, Accountability Campaign “The only clear way to protect commu-
and coherent approach to turn our net zero Director at the Union of Concerned Scien- nity health and our climate is to stop
ambition into action.” tists, said BP’s planned production cut permitting new production and begin a
Andrew Grant, Carbon Tracker’s Head ratchets up the pressure on its competitors. more comprehensive managed decline in
of Oil, Gas and Mining, said: “Most oil and “Of course, if BP reduces emissions the use of all fossil fuels.” APD
NID3_4 DG.indd 12 19/08/2020 16:26

NEWS in depth
coronavirus
UK invests £100m to accelerate

vaccine manufacture
Capacity will up to millions of doses per month
THE UK Government is investing £100m According to the Government, the new partnership with industry.
(US$127.7m) to boost manufacturing Centre is due to open in December 2021 The facilities and online training
capability for a Covid-19 vaccine. and will ensure that the UK is capable of platform will provide industry-
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult manufacturing vaccines and advanced standard skills and experience in advanced
Manufacturing Innovation Centre, devel- medicines, including for emerging gene therapy and vaccine manufacturing,
oped with Innovate UK and Cell and Gene diseases, far into the future. including sterile techniques for GMP.
Therapy (CGT) Catapult, will have capacity Kate Bingham, Chair of the Vaccines The new Centre will complement the
to produce millions of doses per month. Taskforce, commented that the acqui- Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation
The Centre will be developed by sition of the new Centre will help to Centre (VMIC) which also received funding
upgrading an existing facility in Braintree, vaccinate high-risk populations at the from the Government. Currently under
to create a fully-licensed manufacturing earliest opportunity. Vaccines Taskforce construction in Oxfordshire, UK, VMIC
centre. The facility is owned by Bench- was established by the UK Government is the country’s first strategic vaccine
mark Vaccines, a contract manufacturer to lead the country’s efforts to find and development and advanced manufactur-
focussed on animal health vaccines. manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine. ing facility. Once completed it is expected
CGT Catapult has agreed to purchase The Centre is expected to be at the to have the capacity to produce enough
the business, and assets comprising the forefront of the UK cell and gene therapy vaccine to serve the entire UK population.
manufacturing facility for £16m as part of industry. It is predicted that employment Initially, VMIC was awarded £93m by
the UK response to Covid-19. in the sector will reach more than 6,000 the UK Government, and then received a
The 75 highly-qualified staff members jobs by 2024, with more than 3,000 in further £38m to establish a rapid deploy-
already employed at Braintree will transfer manufacturing and bioprocessing. ment facility (opening later this summer)
to CGT Catapult once the sale is complete. The Government also announced a to support efforts to ensure that a success-
According to Benchmark, the Brain- £4.7m investment to support enhanced ful vaccine is widely available to the public
tree facility and team have a wide range vaccine manufacturing capabilities. This as quickly as possible. Completion of the
of GMP-accredited capabilities including is intended to allow the CGT Catapult to VMIC is expected next year.
antigen production, formulation, process ensure the country has the best skills The Government says that the country
development and scale manufacturing, and expertise by developing virtual and is at the forefront of international efforts
and can be rapidly repurposed to produce physical national Centres for Advanced to research and develop a Covid-19
human vaccines. Therapies Training and Skills, in vaccine. It has provided £131m in funding
to the country’s University of Oxford and
Imperial College London to accelerate two
upgrade: benchmark facility will accelerate at-scale vaccine candidates.
manufacture of any successful Covid-19 vaccine The UK Government has secured
access to six different vaccine candidates
across four different vaccine types that
are currently under development. This
includes 60m doses of a vaccine from
Novavax that could by produced at Fujifilm
Jon Lyall / Shutterstock.com
Diosynth Biotechnologies’ facilities in

Billingham; 30m doses from Janssen; 30m
doses from BioNTech and Pfizer; 60m
doses from Valneva; and 100m doses from
Oxford University and AstraZeneca. AJ
NID3_4 DG.indd 13 19/08/2020 16:26

NEWS round-up
Chevron
business
Rio Tinto to close NZ
smelter
RIO Tinto has announced that it is
winding down operations at its Tiwai
Point aluminium smelter in New
Zealand.
Rio Tinto cites the high energy
costs in New Zealand as the main
reason for the closure, with the
company making a loss of NZ$46m
(US$30m) in 2019 at the smelter.
The challenging outlook for alumin-
ium in the short- to medium term
is also a factor. According to The
Australian, aluminium prices have risk & safety
fallen from US$2,500/t in 2018 to
current levels of US$1,620/t.
Rio Tinto had a power supply Chevron ordered to inspect Gorgon
agreement with Meridian Energy
for another ten years, but has now for cracks
given notice to terminate the power
contract in August 2021. ON 7 August, Chevron was ordered to inspect critical equipment at its Gorgon LNG
MP Grant Robertson said: “Given project in Australia by 21 August, amid concerns about worker safety, with reports
the challenging economic situation stating that this could result in a shutdown. This follows news that repairs are under-
caused by Covid-19 it is disappoint- way to resolve welding issues discovered during routine maintenance.
ing Rio Tinto has chosen to close the The Chevron-operated US$54bn Gorgon project – based on Barrow Island, off the
smelter at this time, especially given coast of Western Australia – is a three-train LNG operation producing 15.6m t/y of liq-
the support New Zealand has shown uid natural gas (LNG). Last month, cracks were discovered on Train 2 propane heat
the company and how profitable they exchangers, or propane “kettles”.
are globally.” Initial reports stated that the cracks are up to 1 m long and 30 mm deep on 8–11
MP Megan Woods said: “Rio Tinto’s propane kettles, with some reporting thousands of cracks. According to Western Aus-
decision not to extend their gener- tralian safety regulator the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation, and Safety
ous power contract with Meridian (DMIRS), eight propane kettles are present on the train.
will flow through to the rest of the Steve Emery, Director of Dangerous Goods and Petroleum Safety at DMIRS, said the
market. Eventually it will free up inspection notice was issued because the nature of the reported cracking in Train 2 “is
around 13% of total power generated such that there may be similar defects in Trains 1 and 3”. Chevron has attributed the
in New Zealand which will relieve cracks to manufacturing defects in the kettles, which according to multiple sources
some pressure to build new gener- were produced by the same South-Korean company.
ation. The increased supply will also A notice was not issued for Train 2 as it has been shut down, but DMIRS may
have a positive impact on prices. reassess the train at a later date.
“It is disappointing that Rio Tinto Chevron did not disclose the outcome of an inspection, or if one has taken place, but
is deciding to close one of the world’s a spokesman said that “appropriate safety measures are in place and we continue to
lowest-carbon aluminium smelters, deliver LNG and domestic gas under our contractual commitments with customers”.
in favour of keeping open coal Repairs on Train 2 are ongoing, and the company expects operations to restart in
plants. I also want to make clear that early September.
the Government expects Rio Tinto to Chevron has also been issued with improvement notices for Train 2 kettles as man-
meet their obligations for cleanup ufacture deviates from design. It has until 28 August to make the needed modifications.
of the site (an estimated NZ$256m) Further improvement notices were issued relating to plant registration, weld repairs,
and do the right thing on the dross.” and the requirement to inspect – and if necessary, repair – vessels on Train 3. Chevron
must comply by 24 September, and Worksafe’s investigation is ongoing.
roundup951 DG.indd 14 19/08/2020 17:09

NEWS round-up
policy
Report says nuclear vital for UK net zero plans

THE UK’s Energy Systems Catapult, an independent centre
designed to accelerate the UK’s clean energy transition, has
released a report assessing how nuclear energy can support
decarbonisation to reach net zero by 2050.
The Nuclear for Net Zero report found that around 50 GWe
of nuclear power may be needed by 2050, but that the cost of
nuclear power will need to reduce before nuclear can fully play
its part in the UK’s net zero strategy. Cost reduction can occur if
commitments to capacity increases are made, rather than indi-
vidual unconnected projects. Without nuclear power, achieving
net zero will be difficult, as it will require substantial land use
change for bioenergy, and vast quantities of renewable energy.
Nuclear power could be a cost-effective way to implement
district heating schemes, which could play an important role
in decarbonising heating. In particular, small modular reactors Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Horizon Nuclear Power, commented
(SMRs) could fulfil this role as they can be deployed close to the on why the company is trying to get plans for Wylfa Newydd
centre of demand. plant in Wales restarted: “An operational Wylfa Newydd will
Advanced plants with the next generation of nuclear reac- provide enough clean electricity to meet all of Wales’ power
tors capable of very high temperatures could be used for the demand, domestic and industrial. This would, effectively, make
cogeneration of electricity and hydrogen. An advanced plant Wales’ electricity supply net zero by the early 2030s, delivering
could be co-located on industrial sites to take advantage of the on the UK Government’s pledge decades early, and also help-
hydrogen production, electricity, and district heat. Using nuclear ing to answer the Welsh Government’s declaration of a climate
for hydrogen production would have greater energy density, change emergency.”
lower costs, and less land usage than conventional methods Tom Greatrex, CEO of the Nuclear Industry Association,
such as steam methane reforming or electrolysis. said: “Costs can be reduced through repeat build and new
The report found that policy support is needed over the next construction techniques – but also, and most significantly, with
five years for SMR development as well as the development of a different approach to financing. It is imperative the govern-
next-generation reactors. Additional capacity could potentially ment get on and conclude their review of this, so the ‘no regrets’
start operations between 2028 and 2035 if it is committed to option highlighted by the Energy Systems Catapult can make
at the right time. progress.”
risk & safety

Partnership to further develop chemical safety database
THE Pistoia Alliance, and Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a the laboratory. Currently it has more than 1,000 registered users
division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), have signed from industry, academia, and government entities.
an agreement which will see CAS develop and host Pistoia In 2018, the Alliance announced that it was seeking a
Alliance’s chemical safety database. strategic partner to continue developing its online database of
The Pistoia Alliance’s Chemical Safety Library (CSL) is a chemical reactions.
community crowd-sourced database of hazardous reaction Under the recent agreement, CSL will continue to be a free
incidents aimed at improving safety and reducing incidents. It resource and it will be enhanced with a new deposition-and-
was launched in 2017 by the Alliance, a global-not-for-profit search interface developed by CAS.
life science and healthcare organisation. The database provides Manuel Guzman, President of CAS, said information
a repository for scientists to capture and confidentially share sharing “has no greater purpose than ensuring the safety of the
hazardous reaction information based on their experiences in researchers doing the critical work of innovation”.
roundup951 DG.indd 15 19/08/2020 17:09

NEWS round-up
Ruslan Ivantsov / Shutterstock.com

industry
Atkins awarded contract
for nuclear project
ATKINS has been awarded a contract for
front end engineering design (FEED) of cool-
ant loops for the National Thermal Hydraulic
Facility (NTHF), a nuclear test-and-research
facility to be built in North Wales, UK.
The UK and Welsh Governments are
working together to develop the £40m
(US$50.1m) facility that will focus on ther-
mal hydraulics – the movement of heat and
fluids in reactor systems during the conver-
sion of nuclear energy into electricity. The
facility is being designed by the UK’s Atomic
Energy Authority (UKAEA), which aims to
make the UK a leader in sustainable nuclear
energy.
Coolant loops are used in nuclear reactors
to carry coolant, which removes heat from
the reactor core and transfers it to electrical
generators. The coolant ensures that a sta- environment
ble temperature is maintained in the reactor
system as it captures heat and converts it
into power. Suppliers commit to achieving
Atkins will use state-of-the-art digital
design and collaboration tools to design and 100% renewable Apple production
test coolant loops for NTHF that will allow
developers of new nuclear reactors to trial AS technology company Apple seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, 71 of
prototype reactor coolant systems that use its suppliers have committed to using 100% renewable energy for the company’s
water and gas. products.
Atkins intends to develop a unique water On 21 July, Apple unveiled its plan to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire
loop design that will allow safe tests to be business, manufacturing supply chain, and product lifecycle by 2030. This would
carried out in two-phase flows, in which bring the company’s entire carbon footprint to net zero 20 years before targets set
water and steam are present at the same by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
time. The gas loop will be designed to allow Manufacturing emissions account for about three-quarters of Apple’s overall
tests to be carried out at temperatures up to carbon footprint, most of which are from the electricity used to make the parts in
950°C. According to Atkins, this could allow its products. As part of its goal for carbon neutrality, Apple now aims to transi-
other industrial processes, such as hydrogen tion the electricity used across its entire manufacturing supply chain – including
production, to use some of the heat from the material extraction, component manufacturing, and final product assembly – to
system. 100% renewable by 2030.
The FEED outputs will be analysed and Suppliers helping Apple to achieve its goal include 3M, Arkema and Solvay.
compiled into a report for the NTHF’s next Overall, the 71 companies’ commitment to switching to renewable energy for Apple
phase of design and construction. production amounts to 7.8 GW. Once achieved, the use of renewable energy will
Jason Dreisbach, Chief Engineer of avoid more than 14.3m t/y of CO2-eq.
Nuclear and Power at Atkins, said: “Not only Regarding process and material innovation, the company notes that after
will we focus on designing a viable facility investing in aluminium production technology announced by Alcoa Corporation
with maximum usefulness and cost efficien- and Rio Tinto in 2018, it bought its first batch of carbon-free aluminium from
cies to new reactor developers, we will also the joint-venture (JV) in 2019. The JV, Elysis, produces oxygen instead of car-
support UKAEA in making NTHF the test-bed bon dioxide during smelting, a typically carbon-intensive process used to produce
for use of digital tools in future major UKAEA aluminium, a key material used in Apple products.
development projects.”
roundup951 DG.indd 16 19/08/2020 17:09

NEWS round-up
climate crisis
UK announces £350m funding boost for green recovery

THE UK Government has announced £350m (US$445m) in
funding for a green recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
The funding is primarily to cut emissions in heavy industry,
construction, space and transport sectors. The Government has
allocated £139m for emissions reductions technology in heavy
industry by scaling up carbon capture and storage (CCS) technol-
ogy along with transitioning from natural gas to hydrogen. Heavy
industry was also allocated a further £149m to encourage the use
of innovative materials, such as using waste ash in the glass and
ceramics industry.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We’ve made great strides
towards our net zero target over the last year, but it’s more impor- sectors where making progress to cut emissions is both difficult
tant than ever that we keep up the pace of change to fuel a green, but also essential if the UK is to have an economic recovery with
sustainable recovery as we rebuild from the pandemic.” an ambitious climate programme at its core. Beyond R&D funding,
Ana Musat, Policy Manager at the Aldersgate Group, a decarbonising hard-to-treat sectors like heavy industry or aviation
multi-stakeholder alliance championing a sustainable economy, will need to be achieved by and large through private investment,
said: “Today’s R&D funding announcements are rightly targeted at which itself will require clear policy signals before it is committed.”
business ccs
Chevron acquires Noble Energy Norway’s full-scale CCS project backed
CHEVRON has agreed to buy Noble Energy for US$13bn in the
by European regulator
biggest oil and gas deal since the coronavirus outbreak. THE European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority
The deal offers a strong strategic fit for Chevron enhancing has approved the Norwegian full-scale carbon capture and stor-
its US shale position. It will acquire international assets include age (CCS) project, which would allow the Norwegian Government to
Eastern Mediterranean operations, among which is Noble’s Levi- provide €2.1bn (US$2.4bn) in state aid to the project.
athan, the largest energy project in Israel. Leviathan holds 22trn EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) ensures that Norway abides
ft3 of recoverable natural gas and has a total production capacity of by the rules of the European Economic Area, and this includes state
1.2bn ft3 of natural gas per day. It delivered first gas to the Israeli aid awards. The Norwegian Government could cover around 80% of
domestic market in December 2019, and exports to Egypt and the €2.57bn project, which includes construction costs and ten years
Jordan followed in January. The operation more than doubled the of operation. ESA has now approved the €2.1bn award, which is the
quantity of natural gas flowing to the Israeli economy. largest single state aid award ever approved by the authority.
According to the Financial Times, the deal significantly expands However, the Norwegian Government still has to make a final
Chevron’s position in the eastern Mediterranean where several investment decision project, which is expected later this year.
countries are “racing to develop the region’s huge gas reserves for Norway’s full-scale CCS project will allow the construction of
export”. The report adds that this deal also gives Israel’s energy carbon capture facilities at Fortum Oslo Varme’s waste-to-energy
sector the “supermajor investor” with “political clout” that the plant in Oslo, which recently completed a successful pilot stage, and
Government has wanted since Noble began finding huge offshore Norcem’s cement plant in Brevik. Captured CO2 will be transported
reserves more than 20 years ago. and stored offshore, as part of the Northern Lights project, managed
Based on Noble’s proved reserves at the end of 2019, the acqui- by Equinor, Shell, and Total.
sition will add about 18% to Chevron’s 2019 year-end proved oil Bente Angell-Hansen, President of ESA, said: “This CCS project is
and gas reserves. a groundbreaking step towards tackling climate change – an issue
Once the transaction closes, it is expected to achieve operating that affects all of us. Protecting the environment is at the heart of
cost savings of US$300m before-tax, within a year of closing. The the European agenda, and ESA is pleased to work with Norway and the
transaction is expected to close in Q4 of 2020. European Commission to find ways to support this important goal.”
roundup951 DG.indd 17 19/08/2020 17:09

NEWS research & development
process
Ineos Styrolution finds polystyrene can be

successfully recycled
INEOS Styrolution has reported the final results of research monomer. The oil is purified to get enriched styrene using two
project ResolVe, showing that waste polystyrene can be distillation steps. The resulting monomer is then used to create
chemically recycled to produce styrene. new polystyrene.
The study shows that breaking polystyrene up into its build- Currently, up to 75% of the polystyrene can be made into
ing blocks is a suitable way to recycle polystyrene and is part new material. While all of the polystyrene can be depolymerised,
of a wider push by industry to create a circular economy for the process also produces other byproducts which could be used
polystyrene, rather than downcycle it into other products. as feedstock for other processes.
The project investigated the composition of the waste and Ineos Styrolution has performed a life cycle analysis (LCA)
its effect on the styrene yield. A stable process is possible with for its depolymerised styrene, finding that it saved 50% in
a broad range of feedstock. The most suitable feedstock is emissions compared to fossil-based styrene. The LCA took into
lightweight packaging and expanded polystyrene. account waste collection and sorting, pretreatment, extrusion,
Household waste is sorted to remove impurities like other depolymerisation, and distillation. It was based on an engineer-
plastics and moisture, and then shredded to produce poly- ing design for an upscaled polystyrene depolymerisation plant.
styrene flakes less than 10 mm in size. These are heated to Ineos Styrolution is currently developing a facility with
melting point and a vacuum pump removes moisture and oxy- chemical recycling company Agilyx in Illinois, US, which will be
gen. The polystyrene is then heated above its melting point to capable of processing around 100 t/d of polystyrene waste. It
break the polymer chains and create the styrene monomer. The is also working with waste management company Indaver in
gaseous styrene monomer is condensed into styrene oil, which planning a demonstration plant in Belgium, that will be capa-
contains high and low boiling components as well as the styrene ble of recycling 15,000 t/y and aims to be operational in 2021.
batteries
Sustainable battery firm secures scaleup funding
ACELERON has announced that it has received £2m (US$2.6m) in develop its batteries for use in commercial and industrial sectors.
equity investment which will allow it to scale up production of its Amrit Chandan, chemical engineer and co-founder of
repairable lithium-ion batteries. Aceleron, said: “It’s now or never for the green transition.
Most lithium-ion batteries for renewable energy and This is a watershed moment for Aceleron and the wider green
electric vehicles have an 8–10 year lifespan, but then cannot be sector. As we look to sustainably rebuild the economy in the wake
repaired or easily recycled. Aceleron has developed batteries that of Covid-19, we are seeing governments and companies world-
are designed to be repaired and therefore eliminate the waste wide recognise that clean energy technology must play a crucial
problem. role in building back better.”
It received £1.45m from BGF, an investment partner for grow- “This investment will enable us to significantly increase pro-
ing companies, and the rest from existing investor Mercia Asset duction to meet growing global demand for truly sustainable
Management. The funding will help the company to further battery technology to underpin the clean energy revolution.”
randd951 DG.indd 18 19/08/2020 17:01

Monash University NEWS research & development
coronavirus
Researcher develops
coating to inactivate
virus
A PROFESSOR at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University (Virginia
Tech), US has developed a surface coat-
ing which inactivates the coronavirus
that causes Covid-19.
The virus remains viable on some
solids for periods of up to one week pro-
viding a route for transmission. Chemical
coronavirus engineering professor William Ducker
began working on a surface coating
which inactivates coronavirus in mid-
Covid-19 test gives results in 20 March, and has now developed a copper
oxide/polyurethane (Cu2O/PU) coat-
minutes ing which reduces viral titre by 99.9%
in one hour, when applied to glass or
A BLOOD test has been developed by researchers in Australia which can detect Covid-19 stainless steel. Viral titre is a numerical
antibodies in 20 minutes. The test is easily scalable and up to 700 tests per hour could be expression of the quantity of virus in a
performed using hospital equipment. given volume of fluid. Ducker believes he
The research was led by Bioresource Processing Institute of Australia (BioPRIA) and the and his team could improve the current
Chemical Engineering Department at Monash University, Australia. The researchers devel- coating to work within minutes.
oped a method to detect antibodies caused by Covid-19 using an agglutination assay, which It works by changing the structure of
determines the presence and amount of a substance in blood samples. The positive cases the virus. Once the virus makes contact
cause an easily identifiable agglutination or a clustering of red blood cells, and negative with the coating it denatures the virus
samples don’t cause any clustering. Recent cases could be identified using 25 µL of blood surface and collapses the viral envelope,
plasma. The test can be used to determine if someone recently had the infection, giving it and the virus is then no longer viable for
the potential to be used as part of vaccine trials to determine if antibodies have increased further infection.
in response to a vaccine candidate. It can also be used for population screening and con- The coating consists of Cu2O particles
tact tracing, and to determine for how long antibodies persist after infection. Up to 200 bound to PU. The advantage of a pol-
samples per hour could be tested in a lab setting, rising to 700 per hour using high-grade yurethane coating is that PU is already
diagnostic machines in hospitals. used to coat a large number of every-
Simon Corrie, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Monash University, said: day objects. In addition to glass and
“Detection of antibodies in patient plasma or serum involves pipetting a mixture of reagent stainless steel, the coating adheres well
red blood cells (RRBCs) and antibody-containing serum/plasma onto a gel card containing to everyday objects such as doorknobs,
separation media, incubating the card for 5–15 minutes, and using a centrifuge to separate pens, and keypad buttons. The coating
agglutinated cells from free cells. This simple assay, based on commonly-used blood typing remained intact and active after 13 days
infrastructure and already manufactured at scale, can be rolled out rapidly across Australia immersed in water, and also retained its
and beyond. This test can be used in any lab that has blood-typing infrastructure, which is potency after five exposures to the virus
extremely common across the world.” followed by disinfection. According to
Banaszak Holl, Head of Chemical Engineering at Monash University, said: “This simple, Ducker, the coating provides a medical
rapid, and easily-scalable approach has immediate application in SARS-CoV-2 serological benefit, but also offers the opportunity
testing, and is a useful platform for assay development beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. We to address fears about touching objects.
are indebted to the work of our PhD students in bringing this to life. Funding is required in He now hopes to attract funding to mass
order to perform full clinical evaluation across many samples and sites. With commercial produce the coating.
support, we can begin to manufacture and roll out this assay to the communities that need ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces:
it. This can take as little as six months, depending on the support we receive.” http://doi.org/gg4z7j
ACS Sensors http://doi.org/gg5f4t
randd951 DG.indd 19 19/08/2020 17:01

viewpoint equality, diversity & inclusion
Equality, Diversity and

Inclusion (ED&I) and IChemE
Macsene Isles-Ahite shares her vision for ED&I in IChemE
and the chemical engineering profession
T
HE 2020 Black Lives Matter movement has sparked available to everyone; this naivety was fostered on the Carib-
a widespread and much-needed appraisal of the bean Island of Montserrat where I was born and educated. I left
systematic barriers to equality in our societies. While Montserrat at the age of 16 and since then my views on equality,
wider society focuses on reform within large institutions, diversity and inclusion have evolved. I have come to believe that
including the police and health services, we too must discuss there are barriers to equality and that those barriers can only
how members and staff can collaborate to ensure that IChemE be removed by educating people about the oppressive nature of
is an equal, diverse and inclusive professional engineering generalisation, the unfairness of assuming inferiority due to
institution (PEI). If we fail to do this, we will fail our commu- the fear of difference, and the injustice of prejudicial exclusion.
nities, and IChemE will fall short of serving society.
Before we go much further, I should tell you a little about
myself. First off, I have been IChemE’s ED&I Trustee Champion Hurtful revelation
since March, having taken over the role from my fellow Trustee My daughter has given me permission to tell her story. When
Wendy Wilson. These opinions I am sharing with you are based she started school aged five, she was stopped from entering the
on my personal experiences and general observations of the playhouse, in the playground, by three little (white) girls. They
profession, of the Institution, and of the world. stood blocking the door and when she tried to enter, they told
In my formative years, I believed that equal opportunity was her: “No brown girls allowed”. That incident has hurt me more
macsene DG.indd 20 19/08/2020 15:52

than anything that I have ever experienced before or since. This profession and to our society.
happened in 2014 and I have still not recovered from the shock Furthermore, I feel that remaining silent about the impact
that at five years old, on a playground, in a school in the UK, of unconscious bias is the same as being complicit in perpet-
my daughter was barred from entry because of the colour of uating the cycle of oppression experienced by many minority
her skin. groups. In this article, I want to show my support for those
The school dealt with the incident through education; the that seek to expose and oppose all forms of oppression in a
teacher invited the children to celebrate visible and invisible peaceful and lawful manner. It is important that those of us
differences through play, and over time the children devel- with influence address and seek to eliminate key systemic and
oped more diverse friendship groups and a greater tolerance organisational threats to equality, diversity and inclusion. In
for accepting differences. our quest to create a better IChemE and a better profession, the
Until that incident, I was hopeful that my daughter’s world first step is to break the cycle of oppression.
would be free from stereotypes that lead to prejudice and
discrimination. The unfortunate truth is that barriers will
remain until certain stereotypes, which are wielded by people I believe that the cycle of oppression can be
with power, still exists. The positive outcomes of the Black Lives broken; it can be broken by educating people
Matter movement have encouraged me to use my platform to (especially those people in positions of power
promote equality, diversity and inclusion within IChemE and and influence) about the benefits of dismantling
to attempt to address any barriers (real or perceived) that may and removing barriers and encouraging an
still exist today. atmosphere of equality, diversity and inclusion
Engineers are curious, critical-thinking and creative beings,

Insufficient data who often need to deconstruct in order to understand and
The key question we need to address is: does IChemE have a apply. So what is the cycle of oppression? It begins with the fear
significant issue to fix when it comes to equality, diversity of difference which often results in the creation of stereotypes.
and inclusion? In truth, we don’t have the answers to that This in turn forms the basis of prejudice. Prejudice perpetu-
question as yet. Anecdotally, I have seen posts on Interface ated by people with power leads to discrimination. Internalised
where members state that they have put themselves forward oppression is when people start believing the stereotypes that
for volunteer roles and have had their applications ignored. they are taught about themselves from the society in which
This may be linked to administrative limitations and/or staff they live.
inefficiencies. It may not be an indication of bias. However, it Oppressed individuals typically suffer from imposter
is not possible to analyse the role that current systems play syndrome, where feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt can
in restricting or promoting equality, diversity and inclusion cripple performance and where the external proof of compe-
within IChemE as this data is, unfortunately, not yet available. tence is overshadowed by a sense of intellectual fraudulence.
For example, I would like to have data that would help gauge
the diversity of representatives on our many committees, the
Antwon McMullen / Shutterstock.com

diversity of members applying to volunteer and fill certain
roles, and the diversity of those winning IChemE medals,
prizes and awards. Collecting diversity data would help us
answer the following sample questions: Is unconscious bias
(see boxout) impacting members’ success rates of getting Char-
tered or elected to Fellow? Do we have a shortfall of women
submitting journal papers for publication? Do we have a lack
of ethnic minority members seeking election to Congress or
Unconscious bias
Board of Trustees? Are there barriers that discriminate based Unconscious bias (or implicit bias) is a term that describes
on race, age, physical disability, sexual orientation or religious the thoughts and feelings we have that are outside of our
beliefs? conscious awareness and control. These in turn can have
The limited statistical data available suggests that IChemE’s significant influence on our attitudes and behaviours
volunteer pool does not reflect an equal, diverse and inclu- towards other people, including our fellow chemical
sive membership. It is important that we collect and analyse engineers. Our unconscious associations are difficult to
diversity data so that the impact of current and future equality, override, so education and greater personal reflection is
diversity and inclusion initiatives can be measured. important. I’d urge readers to take an Implicit Association Test
I hope to use my platform to help to educate members hosted by US researchers at the Harvard University website:
and staff about how understanding and promoting systemic https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
equality, diversity and inclusion can only add value to our
macsene DG.indd 21 19/08/2020 15:52

Adapted from the Cycle of Oppression originally developed by Sheri Schmidt in 1994 viewpoint equality, diversity & inclusion
that we experience the same event in different ways. We have

The Cycle of Oppression different ambitions and expectations and our differences
shape our contributions and motivations. Therefore, embrac-
FEAR OF ing our differences is the ultimate antidote to unconscious
DIFFERENCE bias. Breaking the cycle of oppression can only start by treating
others fairly and equally and by promoting integrity and mind-
fulness in our day-to-day interactions and conduct.
INTERNALISED
OPPRESSION STEREOTYPE Modifying IChemE to break the cycle
While we don’t have the data yet to understand how we are
performing on ED&I, there are programmes of work already
underway and forthcoming that aim to improve matters.
Equality
In the past, IChemE members who wished to put themselves
DISCRIMINATION PREJUDICE
forward for election may have experienced barriers due their
+POWER geographical location. For example, a member from a region
with few other local members may have struggled to find
someone to act as a referee or nominee on their behalf. IChemE
systems are under constant review and are being altered to
I believe that the cycle of oppression can be broken; it can be ensure that geographical location is no longer a deterrent or
broken by educating people (especially those people in posi- a hindrance to securing nominees. Steps have already been
tions of power and influence) about the benefits of dismantling taken to promote equality, diversity and inclusion through
and removing barriers and encouraging an atmosphere of terms of reference for committees. When it was established,
equality, diversity and inclusion. the structure of Congress was designed to encourage a greater
geographical representation and more can and will be done, via
future initiatives, to encourage equal geographical represen-
Applying what we’ve learned tation and participation in the membership of other IChemE
So how can members and staff modify their behaviour to break committees. Another example of an initiative that has been
the cycle of oppression? established to promote equality, is Programme SMART, which
Equality is the absence of generalisations and stereotypes. was set up to deliver sustainable membership growth. IChemE
As a collective, we need to foster equality of opportunity, where has established four member-led projects specifically aimed
we all benefit from the same support and equality of outcomes, at removing barriers to getting Chartered, including flexible
where we all get the support we need. To break the cycle of routes to membership (p52, issue 946).
oppression, I believe we need to start treating others as equals As an employer, IChemE has worked to improve its internal
and respecting the individual rights of others to seek opportu- communications and promote a culture where everyone is able
nity and/or advancement without barriers. to speak up about issues of concern regardless of their position
and role within the organisation.
Diversity is recognising and valuing Diversity

differences...we need to start to IChemE members groups, including special interest groups,
appreciate our differences and to should encourage diversity in the composition of their commit-
celebrate what makes us unique tees. One option would be to encourage groups to include an
ED&I champion on their committee. And work is ongoing to
Diversity is recognising and valuing differences. At our most update committees’ and other leadership groups’ Terms of
basic level we are all 99.9% the same; our DNA is mostly identical Reference to ensure that diversity is considered and there is
and that is what denotes that we are from the same species. The awareness of its importance.
0.1% difference is what sets us apart from others and contrib- Membership of the IChemE Board of Trustees is made
utes to us all having different traits. I believe that in order to possible via election, so all Chartered members and Fellows are
break the cycle of oppression, we need to start to appreciate our eligible to participate in the election process as either nominees
differences and to celebrate what makes us unique. or as voters. These initiatives are designed to produce more
Inclusion is the extent to which individuals feel that they diverse teams, which will result in greater innovation and
are valued and accepted. The fact that we are all unique means improved performance.
macsene DG.indd 22 19/08/2020 15:52

In Q4 2020, IChemE will be developing guidelines for staff and Future focus
members about equality, diversity, and inclusion. This will aim As ED&I Trustee Champion, I am supporting a proposal to
to raise awareness, embed good practice, and identify areas establish an ED&I Panel made up of IChemE members and staff
where we can aspire for progress. to act as an advisory body that reports to the Board of Trustees.
This Panel can provide guidance and advice on ED&I matters
Inclusion to support the eight RAEng Progression Framework activi-
There have been several new initiatives to recognise and cele- ties within IChemE. The Panel will also promote awareness of
brate volunteers, such as The Chemical Engineer’s Volunteer unconscious bias and develop guidelines based on good practice
Spotlight series, designed to highlight the various ways that to support equal, diverse and inclusive employee operations
members contribute to advancing their profession. The variety and member engagement in IChemE activities. I am currently
of work being done by volunteers is also regularly promoted via working with IChemE staff to explore options to collect diver-
blogs and other articles. sity data to benchmark and monitor improvements in diversity
In 2020, IChemE introduced equal opportunities training of IChemE’s volunteer pool. After securing Trustee approval
for staff. From September, this will be enhanced to include for the required budget, the ED&I Staff Working Group led by
unconscious bias training and will become part of mandatory David Lloyd-Roach and Alana Collis, who I must also thank for
training for all staff. supporting me with information for this article, are planning
to develop and promote an ED&I membership survey to collect
and collate relevant data in Q1 2021. We recognise that there are
Promoting IChemE’s ED&I Agenda certain practical limitations and that it is important that this
IChemE’s Strategy 2024 also commits the Institution to data collection initiative is conducted with cultural sensitivity
“provide a platform to progress opportunities and good and an awareness of relevant legislation.
practice in equality, diversity and inclusion, in line with our Our membership consists of more than 35,000 people from
commitments to the Royal Academy of Engineering’s (RAEng’s) more than 100 countries. This would suggest a diverse popu-
Diversity Concordat.” lation. In order to measure where things stand now, we need
To this end, IChemE staff promote activities for Inter- to initiate a project to update our membership database so we
national Women’s Day and work with members to produce can collect helpful classes of information on members (whilst
content for International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). remaining GDPR compliant). I’d like to close by urging members
These activities raise the profile of female chemical engineers to help us improve our data. Please take the time to complete
and usually focus on female chemical engineers in senior roles surveys when requested, update your personal data and prefer-
and those serving as role models and mentors in the profes- ences on the website under MyIChemE.
sion. The goal of this initiative is to encourage more females in
highschool to consider careers in STEM.
IChemE staff also completed an ED&I benchmarking During IChemE’s Centenary year in 2022,
exercise with the RAEng Progression Framework in 2017 and we will celebrate the past, the present and the
are currently preparing for the next benchmarking exercise, future contributions members have made to our
which has been delayed until Q1 2021 due to Covid-19. The profession. Under the umbrella of an equal,
Progression Framework has eight structured themes: diverse and inclusive membership, let us all
celebrate and collaborate, together
• governance and leadership;
• membership and professional registration; Member engagement begins with you; becoming an active
• meetings, conferences and events; member rather than a passive member is a choice that only you
• education and training, accreditation and examinations; can make. As trite as that may sound it is 100% true. I would
• prizes, awards and grants; like to thank all of the past and current volunteers for their
• communications, marketing, outreach and engagement; service, and challenge members who are disengaged to make
• employment; and a conscious effort and choice to contribute. IChemE is member
• monitoring and measuring. led, with a remit to serve society. During IChemE’s Centenary
year in 2022, we will celebrate the past, the present and the
For the success of this initiative, data capture is important. future contributions members have made to our profession.
To overcome existing shortfalls, IChemE staff are currently Under the umbrella of an equal, diverse and inclusive member-
looking at how members can engage in the process of estab- ship, let us all celebrate and collaborate, together.
lishing reliable diversity metrics across IChemE’s operations
and projects. The challenge is to identify activities to imple-
ment and measure change and to analyse diversity data to Macsene Isles-Ahite CEng MIChemE is IChemE’s ED&I Trustee
highlight opportunities for improvement. Champion
macsene DG.indd 23 19/08/2020 15:52

feature vaccines
Vaccine Development:
Mind the Gap
Timothy Clayton details IChemE’s Covid-19 Response Team’s
work on identifying what needs to be done
V
ACCINES are a wonderful invention that have trans- to be built and for supplies to be ramped up. This is not the
formed the health of billions. Not only can an individual case for Covid-19; everybody wants to get back to normal and a
be protected by a vaccine but, once enough people have vaccine will be invaluable – but where is the capacity to make
been vaccinated, the whole population is protected because the and distribute vaccine when a good candidate is available?
infection cannot spread in a sustainable way (herd immunity). Development timelines are constrained by clinical studies.
If a good vaccine that can generate an immunity to the virus Because the vaccine is given to healthy people it is essential
causing Covid-19 is developed, there will be huge benefits to ensure its safety using a large number of subjects. Before
(see Table 1). vaccines can be used in the general population, tens of thou-
We are promised a vaccine at record speed but Ken Frazier, sands of people need to be included in clinical studies to test
CEO of MSD notes that we must be careful not to be too bullish safety and efficacy. A major challenge in development of a
about the speed of development of a new vaccine. In the last vaccine is carrying out a clinical study that will be conclusive.
25 years only seven truly new vaccines have been developed The clinical trial must be carried out in an area where the virus
and taken to the market. Making a new vaccine is difficult. is actively infecting a large enough number of people to allow
The fastest vaccine ever brought to market was for mumps, and demonstration of efficacy and duration of protection. A vaccine
took four years. Normally a vaccine takes about ten years to that lasts for less than a year is not much use to anyone. At
develop and costs more than US$1bn to get to market. Conse- present Brazil, South Africa and the US are being chosen for
quently, there is a timeline that allows for production facilities trials, but if the rate of transmission drops during the trials
vaccines DG.indd 24 19/08/2020 14:27

feature vaccines
Table 1: Vaccine benefits based on present knowledge
Short-term health benefit long-term health benefits economic benefits
Resumption of normal healthcare

A reduction in use of acute medical No more shutdowns, normally-functioning economy. Prevention will
services and subsequent lowering
care and lower Covid-19 death rate. reduce extra healthcare costs generated by coronavirus.
of excess mortality.
Control of spread of Covid-19 to Worldwide control of the spread of

Allow vulnerable people to return to normal work.
vulnerable groups. Covid-19.
Prevention of acute problems caused

Prevention of long-term organ Minimise the cost of dealing with long-term consequences of
by blood clotting (stroke, heart
damage caused by clotting. Covid-19 by stopping infection.
failure).
We do not know the long-term impact of repeated infection with

Prevention of damage to people
Prevention of progressive damage Covid-19. If reinfection occurs, an accumulation of “mild damage”
with milder symptoms or who are
caused by repeat infection. could become very serious and have a significant impact on all the
asymptomatic.
population, devastating economies.
Prevention of post-viral “long-haul Low numbers of ill-defined but Reduce the number unable to function economically after infection
effects”. real post-viral effects. by reducing the number of infections.
the data may not be conclusive enough and the trial period may devices, and will it be stored and transported as a liquid or lyoph-
need to be extended and new sites opened in other countries. ilised and will it be frozen, chilled or at ambient temperature?
When conclusive data are available, everyone will want the Assuming that one, or several of these vaccines is successful,
vaccine immediately. what strategy will be used to make it, and where? There is no
As part of the Covid-19 response, an IChemE volunteer clear definition of what a successful vaccine to prevent Covid-19
team has been looking at the options to help this extraordinary would look like, and questions remain. For example:
effort to develop and manufacture a vaccine.
• Is a quick and dirty initial vaccine which is not as safe as
would normally be accepted likely to be registered? Apart
The Challenge from liability issues (who will pay compensation and how
What process will be used? We want to know which vaccine much) there is a danger of losing the trust of the general
will work, and can we make enough? Before major decisions on population and generating a perception that the vaccine
manufacturing capacity are made it is normal to answer three is not worth the risk.
questions. Is the vaccine safe? Does it give immunity? And how • What is the acceptable response to the vaccine? (%
long does the immunity last? immunised, length of immunisation, full immunisation vs
There are at least 160 candidates in development (summa- partial immunisation – what if we mitigate the infection
rised in Table 2). Many of the vaccine approaches being used to reduce the death rate but don’t stop the spread?).
have never produced a marketed vaccine. • Will the supply of the vaccine be limited by materials
or delivery system costs/availability? (simple examples
are availability of disposable bioreactors, cell culture
Normally a vaccine takes about ten years to medium, RNA manufacturing components, glass vials,
develop and costs more than US$1bn to get silicon rubber tubing and syringes and needles. Some
to market...this is not the case for covid-19; vaccines also need an electroporation device to get the
everybody wants to get back to normal and a vaccine into cells after injection.)
vaccine will be invaluable – but where is the • How quickly will the supply need to be ramped up? We
capacity to make and distribute vaccine when a are adding a need for billions of doses of product that
good candidate is available? was not needed previously. A new vaccine plant with
filling capacity will normally take 3–5 years to build
There are significant differences in the methods used to produce and commission depending on location and capacity.
different types of vaccine, so we can’t make general assump- We also need to continue other vaccine manufacture.
tions about what might be needed yet in terms of production Major vaccine manufacturer GSK claims to already make
capacity for drug substance or the type of filling and distribution about 3m doses of vaccine a day. That is about 1bn doses
capacity. For example, will the product be filled into multi-use per year – or about 1/15th of the quantity just needed for
bags, single or multi-use vials, pre-filled syringes or special Covid-19 but not necessarily available.
vaccines DG.indd 25 19/08/2020 14:27

feature vaccines
Table 2: Vaccines in development as of 13 July 2020 (23 candidates in clinical studies, 137 in preclinical studies) Source: WHO Novel
coronavirus-landscape
in clinical preclinical
type of vaccine comment developers of products in clinical studies
studies studies
Vaccines made by growing some type of virus, SARS-CoV-2 or viral vector
Sinovac Wuhan Institute of Biological

Products/Sinopharm.
Need BSL3 containment; this is the next-to- Beijing Institute of Biological Products/
highest level and includes many engineering Sinopharm.
Inactivated virus 5 8
controls to minimise the chance of escape
of the virus. Bharat Biotech.
Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese
Academy of Medical Sciences.
Version of the virus that is not going to
Live attenuated virus 0 3
cause severe disease.
Replicating viral vector 0 17
University of Oxford/AZ.
Non-replicating viral CanSino Biological/
3 20 Frequently adenoviral based. Beijing Institute of Biotechnology.
vector
Gamaleya Research Institute.
Non-virus based vaccines
Combination of different components that

Virus like particles (VLP) 1 11 mimic a virus and generate an immune Medicago.
response.
Novavax.
Clover Biopharmaceuticals/GSK/Dynavax.
Anhui Zhifei Longcom
Protein subunit 5 50 Produce proteins biologically Biopharmaceutical/Institute of Microbiology,
Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Vaxine/Medytox.
University of Queensland/GSK/Dynavax.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals/
International Vaccine Institute.
Biologically produced, often needs Osaka University/AnGes/Takara Bio.
DNA 4 11
electroporation to help DNA get into cells.
Cadila Healthcare.
Genexine Consortium.
Moderna/NIAID.
BioNTech/Fosun/Pharma/Pfizer.
Imperial College London.
RNA 5 16 Chemically synthesised.
Curevac.
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Academy of
Military Sciences/Walvax Biotech.
Unknown 0 1
• The race today is to make a vaccine – any vaccine – out of reach for much of the world’s population. As the
and cost is not a major consideration. However, as time memories of the economic cost of our recent shutdowns
progresses, governments will want a cost-effective recede, there will also be significant pressure to reduce
vaccine. To date Moderna is thought to be targeting annual re-vaccination costs if they are necessary, so a
US$50–60 per course (US$25–30 per dose), Biontec/ second round of more cost-effective vaccines may be
Pfizer US$19.50 per dose, and AstraZeneca a few dollars needed.
per dose. To use the Moderna vaccine for 1 cycle of • Allocation of vaccine - will there be enough to supply key
vaccinations in the UK would cost about US$3.4–4bn populations?
just for the vaccine. Even a few dollars a dose will be • Will we have a choice of vaccines?
vaccines DG.indd 26 19/08/2020 14:27

feature vaccines
Primary objectives not used.

Our team’s first objective was to find out what is the state of We should not ignore veterinary vaccine capacity, but the
play for vaccines worldwide, but with initial focus on the UK impact on food production or companion animal health should
and Ireland because we have the best knowledge of the UK and not be underestimated.
Europe. We set out to: The new Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre
(VMIC) building has had additional funding to speed up
• determine if this is an area where IChemE can help and construction and increase filling capacity 20-fold, with a
if we can see an immediate route to help; completion date of mid-2021 now being proposed. Once fully
• find out the state of play of candidates and develop commissioned, VMIC claims capacity of about 70m doses filled
contacts in this area; and in 4 months, so about 9 months of manufacturing should meet
• based on state of candidates, look at manufacturing and UK needs for vaccine if one is available for them to fill and the
scaleup and see if there are any major gaps that we can filling capacity is appropriate for the vaccine.
help to fill.
Manufacturing Capacity
Biopharmaceutical manufacturing is a worldwide enterprise
Outcome of Gap Analysis with capacity in some countries around the world, and much
With the exception of the Imperial College RNA vaccine, the of this capacity is already booked. Some small-scale capacity
emerging picture is that any vaccine that shows promise will exists in the UK but may not be available (Cobra, Fujifilm,
be taken by a big pharma player or the state (such as China). Lonza for example). Different organisations are already
In general, individual countries have little control. This also booking capacity for at-risk manufacture, Astra-Zeneca is
limits the impact that IChemE can have, but there were clear using Oxford Biomedica and Cobra for manufacturing its viral
areas where we can help, particularly in education and training vector-based vaccine not just for clinical supplies but to supply
and longer-term policy development. the market if it is successful in clinical studies.
The suitability of a site depends on whether it is already
Too much choice and too little certainty registered as a manufacturing site for development or marketed
We just don’t know which vaccines may be successful, but material. Any facility used for rapid manufacturing will need to
there are three potential outcomes: no vaccine; one vaccine; be already in use as a biotechnology or pharmaceutical facility
or multiple vaccines. and will need to be modified to some extent. The facility must
If a vaccine is developed there will be a need to manufac- be capable of being operated to good manufacturing practice
ture and distribute billions of doses, potentially on a yearly and appropriate biosafety levels (BSL), with BSL1 being the
basis. lowest and BSL4 the highest. To make inactivated vaccine,
There may be a need to make an initial vaccine that is good BSL3 will be required – this is not available in many contract
enough, followed by a better vaccine that has taken longer to manufacturing facilities and is difficult to retrofit.
develop. Expansion of capacity may be possible in modular build-
Many vaccines are biologics, scaleup and technology ings, depending on process, especially if disposable technology
transfer are difficult, and the product is defined by the manu- is used.
facturing process. Low-yielding processes may need high volume steel biore-
Manufacturing and distributing a vaccine will be a major actors, there are few in the UK but there is capacity in Europe
task. At present we can’t predict which vaccine will be success- including Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Spain.
ful so don’t know what manufacturing process and capacity Further afield, there is capacity in the US and Asia. Availabil-
might be required. What is clear from a UK perspective is that ity of capacity varies wildly and it is common to book capacity
we are not in a good place to make our own vaccines above several years in advance. Fujifilm in Denmark has announced
those needed for routine vaccinations. This is also the case for a significant expansion, but this will take several years to
many other countries. perform.
Vaccine manufacture and development is an international For traditional vaccine approaches we may need to
business with strategic decisions made by pharmaceuti- repurpose animal vaccine capacity.
cal companies dominating the location and type of capacity
worldwide. Decisions are made based on profitability and effi- Why focus on disposable technology for
ciency. As a result of mergers and acquisition (M&A) activity smaller-scale biotechnology activities?
and the tendency to concentrate resources in focussed sites, There are a lot of assumptions based on the use of dispos-
the UK is not a hub for biotech and vaccine manufacturing. able technology to increase speed of scaleup and facilities
Some capacity in the UK could potentially be used for build. A key factor is the large number of doses and poten-
manufacturing if not already fully occupied and if dispos- tially small volume of commercial production systems used
able technology could be used and live SARS-CoV-2 virus was for virus vaccines. As well as not needing to order, build
vaccines DG.indd 27 19/08/2020 14:27

feature vaccines
and commission stainless steel tanks and bioreactors, many The community stands ready to help, and several members of
functions can be contracted out. For a rapid response there IChemE are already directly involved with the vaccine effort
is the potential to increase speed by outsourcing supply for through their employment. For the rest of us who want to help
some buffers and media needs and switch between different as much as possible but can’t directly engage through our jobs,
products more quickly. The aim is to reduce capital cost (focus we have decided on the following actions that reflect our role
cost on modular, flexible facility for disposables rather than as a learned society:
fixed equipment), however the facility becomes dependent on
a complicated supply chain to operate. This is not suitable for • Education and training for academic groups and small
all purposes and short-term expediency may have long-term companies on the importance of manufacturability and
impact when large-scale long-term needs are considered. technology transfer.
• Modelling best and worst cases for manufacture and
State of play distribution, including the whole supply chain, to
Two very different high-profile vaccine approaches are being see how the chances of success can be optimised and
tested by UK organisations; neither of these approaches has bottlenecks identified and overcome.
ever been taken to the market. • Involvement with not-for-profit facilities (eg
The Oxford adenoviral vector is already in clinical trials, VMIC) and facilitation of accelerated build and
and a large partner – Astra-Zeneca – is now involved, and commissioning.
Cobra and Oxford Biomedica are manufacturing the drug • Building contacts with organisations such as Wellcome
substance for the vaccine. A group at Imperial is testing an Trust, Gates Foundation, universities, and small
RNA vaccine encapsulated in a lipid. Trial batches were made biotechnology companies.
by a US contractor. • Monitoring of vaccine progress.
GSK is collaborating with Sanofi on vaccines, making • As the potential candidates become obvious we can
its adjuvant technology widely available, and is involved in assess what could be done with the limited capacity if
numerous other Covid-19 vaccine projects. It has also agreed the candidates are made available for manufacture.
to buy a 10% stake in CureVac, a German RNA vaccine company. • Longer-term we need to help shape the understanding
and strategic vision for emergency response to future
pandemics (whether this is by white paper, personal
A worldwide and permanent capacity increase influence, trade bodies, modelling, press releases).
for manufacturing and filling is needed. The
whole supply chain for any new vaccine is going As the situation develops, the team will review the gap
to be fragile, and challenged, not only by the analysis to see where help can be provided. We have already
sheer number of doses required but potentially started to define what training can be provided and the best
by the conflicting demands of different projects way to deliver it. Technology transfer has been identified by
many workstreams and is clearly a priority where we have
China is moving several candidates forward, mainly using the opportunity to meet the needs of several groups with one
traditional approaches and has built a new manufacturing training package. ■
facility in about 100 days.
A worldwide and permanent capacity increase for manufac-
turing and filling is needed. The whole supply chain for any Timothy Clayton CEng MIChemE is CMC at Antev. The IChemE
new vaccine is going to be fragile, and challenged, not only Covid-19 response team working on Vaccines Drug Substance
by the sheer number of doses required but potentially by the Workstream comprises Tim Clayton; Chris Davis; Julia Gordon;
conflicting demands of different projects. For example, there Ridwan Doba; Sijin Saji; Arsalan Afkhami; Peter Holly; Kieran Falvey;
is overlap between capacity requirements for existing ther- Kevin Lam; Nur Izzaty Badrol Hisham; Paul Riordan; Nooryesha
apeutic proteins, new therapeutic proteins to treat Covid-19 Choudhury; and Keith Plumb (ad hoc).
symptoms, and subunit vaccines. Filling vaccine at-risk is a
common approach which means filling the vaccine before the
clinical study is complete, knowing that it will only be used if Further reading
the trial is successful. This will expedite supply if trial vaccines 1. Sharpe, HR et al, “The early landscape of coronavirus disease
are successful, but will block filling of other vaccines or thera- 2019 vaccine development in the UK and rest of the world”,
peutics that may be needed. Immunology, Jul 2020 Jul, 160(3): 223–232.
2. https://hbs.me/31EkpAE
Actions 3. https://bit.ly/3gK8GGR
Engineers are people who want to get their teeth into problems 4. https://bit.ly/3h4LvY9
and make things work, and the vaccine issue is no different. 5. https://vimeo.com/436370787
vaccines DG.indd 28 19/08/2020 14:27

Troubleshooting Distillation Control –
Presented by Henry Kister
Modules 20 and 22 October, 18:00–21:00 BST
IChemE is excited to announce a unique opportunity to learn
online with world-renowned distillation expert Henry Kister. If
you have responsibility for operating, troubleshooting, designing
or revamping distillation columns you won’t want to miss it.
Why join us online?

Through Henry’s extensive experience, alongside case
studies and a Q&A session, you will learn how to: troubleshoot
a distillation control system and identify causes of poor
performance, evaluate existing column control performance
and develop new designs, avoid common causes of instability
and incorporate lessons from past experience for developing or
improving a column control system.
MB0240_20
Spaces will be limited, early booking is advised –

www.icheme.org/live-distillation
MBN0240_20 practical distillation TCE HP.indd 1 13/08/2020 13:46
Human Factors in Health

and Safety
For the first time, IChemE is offering its full Human Factors in Health and
Safety training course online.
This modular training programme examines the core human factors
issues in the process industries, and shows you how to implement
practical solutions to manage them effectively.
Managing Human Factors – September 2020
Managing Human Failure – October 2020
Strengthening Organisational Performance – November 2020
Human Factors in Design – December 2020
Register for the full course or by module. The number of places on
each session is limited. Early booking is advised.
Find out more: www.icheme.org/human-factors

In partnership with
MB0240_20
MB0240_20 Human Factors HP_AD.indd 1 19/08/2020 14:14
vaccines DG.indd 29 19/08/2020 14:28

feature refining
overall complex: including the RFCC

UNIT, LPG AND PROPYLENE RECOVERY UNITS
Design Fire Fighting

What do you do when you unexpectedly lose a crucial piece
of your refinery complex? Shahidan Laili and M Safwan Atan explain
F
ACED with a fire on startup of a new world-scale refinery, from the CDU is treated at an atmospheric residue desulfurisation
engineers had to re-specify the facility to use new feed- unit (ARDS) to remove contaminants such as sulfur and nitrogen.
stocks, and control the resulting risks. This article The treated AR is then fed to the RFCC unit, to be cracked into
describes the steps we took to overcome major challenges for valuable product such as fuel gas, propylene, propane, raffinate,
safe and continuous operations. naphtha, diesel, and slurry oil.
In April 2019, during refinery startup activity, there was a
fire at the ARDS unit, which meant the unit would be unable to
Overview start up until Q4 2020. This resulted in a major disruption to
The residue fluidised catalytic cracking (RFCC) unit is part of the process chain, in that the crude couldn’t be processed to
PRefChem’s refinery complex at Pengerang Integrated Complex provide the required feed for the RFCC.
(PIC) in Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia. (PRefChem is a joint venture In order to sustain the refinery operations, we had to come
between Petronas and Saudi Aramco). up with an alternative crude programme to provide feedstock
The process involves distilling crude oil at a crude distillation for the refinery while the ARDS unit was out of action. The main
unit (CDU) to produce multiple product streams such as fuel gas, goal was to find the most suitable crude for refinery feedstock,
LPG, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and atmospheric residue (AR). AR being mindful of meeting downstream feed specifications.
refining v2 DG.indd 30 19/08/2020 17:04

feature refining
Table 1: New feed specifications analysis and risk assessment impacts/mitigation

parameter impact mitigation
• Use overhead corrosion inhibitor/water wash and corrosion
probe monitoring, amine loading at LPG treating unit (LTU),
• Increased overhead corrosion, increased hydrogen
and RFCC designed to runs 2 trains.
sulfide (H2S), high sulfur inside draw product, and SOx
Sulfur • Design downstream unit to run 2 trains.
emissions.
• Increase caustic flow to meet the stack SOx emission.
• Temporary poison and reduced catalyst activity.
• Increase catalyst makeup rate to maintain equilibrium-cat
(E-cat) quality.
• Increase catalyst makeup rate to maintain E-cat quality.
Total nitrogen, • Temporary poison to catalyst, and precursor for cyanide
basic nitrogen formation at column overhead.
probe monitoring.
• Balance the heat transfer via catalyst cooler, torch oil, and air
Concarbon • Impacts heat balance in reactor and regenerators (R2R).
preheater.
• Deactivates catalyst, reduces microactivity test (MAT) to
<66%, and increases fresh catalyst makeup rate (catalyst
• Introduce nickel passivator and fresh catalyst makeup to
Nickel loader capacity 30 t/d).
maintain E-cat quality.
• Increases H2 production, results in wet gas compressor
(WGC) operating at low molecular weight (MW) fluid.
Vanadium, • Increase catalyst makeup rate to maintain E-cat quality

• Deactivates catalyst, reduces MAT to <66% and increases (subject to loader capacity).
Nickel +
fresh catalyst makeup rate. • Based on nickel equivalent, vanadium impact is more severe
vanadium, iron compared to iron.
TAN • Corrosion issue at main fractionator.
probe monitoring
• Deactivates catalyst, reduces MAT to <66% and increases • Increase catalyst makeup rate to maintain E-cat quality
Sodium
fresh catalyst makeup rate. (subject to loader capacity).
• Less paraffinic crude results in lower yield and high coke
Aniline point • Maintain regenerator heat balance via catalyst cooler.
content.
System Boundary Limitations • sulfur wt%;

The main function of ARDS is to treat atmospheric residue from • total nitrogen ppm;
the CDU prior to being fed to the RFCC. Having this unit out • total acid number (TAN) mgKOH/g; and
of action would result in a higher contaminant content being • sodium ppm.
fed to the RFCC. In order to provide feedstock to the RFCC, we
needed the CDU unit to process sweet crude (ie light crude, Identifying the relaxed specification and new limits were based
containing less sulfur) compared to the sour crude (heavier on previous operating experience by the EPCC contractor and
crude and more sulfur) as per design. The main challenges in licensor as well as simulations performed in-house by the
finding the alternative crude were the tight specification of PRefChem team. The most challenging part of the assessment
RFCC feedstock in terms of contaminant level, and the volume was that the RFCC unit would have to operate using the alter-
requirement to meet the optimum throughput of the refinery native feed from its very first day of operation, as the ARDS fire
complex. incident occurred just before the RFCC’s initial startup. Thus,
The Complex Production Planning Department (CPP) is the alternative feed selection was crucial to ensuring safe and
responsible for selecting types of crude for the refinery. Its smooth operation.
initial attempts to identify a suitable alternative crude failed, so
a risk assessment was conducted to identify a potential relaxa-
tion in feed specification to accommodate a variation in crude. Detailed Analysis
A technical assessment was conducted, in conjunction with A few major concerns were highlighted during the risk assess-
the licensor and EPCC contractor, to assess risks and identify ment which required detailed analysis, namely concerns
mitigations for each issue (see summary in Table 1). The main around corrosion, and hydraulic and equipment duty.
RFCC feed specification was assessed, focussing on issues such
as content of sulfur, nitrogen, concarbon, nickel, vanadium, Corrosion
iron, sodium; total acid number (TAN); and aniline point. We A preliminary study for the alternative feed had relaxed the
evaluated the impact of increasing the limit of the feed specifi- sulfur limits in the RFCC feed specification. This puts the
cation and identified the following parameters for the relaxed system at risk of increased corrosion, so a thorough sulfur and
specification: corrosion study was carried out to evaluate potential impacts

feature refining
on equipment and final product specification. • Crack-promoting conditions were as specified in NACE
The data for the corrosion study were based on the simula- MR0103 (https://bit.ly/2PMRd4I).
tion result of the alternative feed. The assumptions used during • Estimated sulfidation rates are inferred from the
the study were: McConomy curve (which uses sulfur concentration,
temperature and metallurgy to estimate a maximum
• The highest corrosion rate for the group was used anticipated corrosion rate).
to determine the remaining life of the associated • Conservative NAC/HTS are estimated from Table 2B, API
components. 581, 2016 (https://bit.ly/30OycVV).
Table 2: Summary of the corrosion study

corrosion monitoring &
unit remarks/recommendation
mechanism controlling parameters
Napthanic acid • Slight increase in expected corrosion rate, however remaining life is >20 years.
1311–100 TAN numbers
corrosion • Monitoring is recommended as per Petronas risk-based inspection (PRBI) and CMP.
High temperature Sulfur content at feed and • Increased corrosion rate leading to a reduction in remaining life <20 years.
1311–200
sulfidation temperature • Higher frequency of wall loss monitoring may be required.
Water wash flowrate,
• Increased H2S in the system may lead to higher ammonium bisulfide corrosion
corrosion flow and
Ammonium rates; but this is also dependent on the nitrogen/ammonia levels in the system.
1311–200 coupon, chemical injec-
bisulfide • The critical parameters in the CMP shall be monitored, together with wall loss by
1311–300 tion, cyanide content,
corrosion Permasense, coupon and probe.
sulfur and nitrogen
• Ammonium polysulfide injection may be considered for mitigation of cyanides.
content of incoming crude
• Acidic sour water corrosion is anticipated in the presence of H2S and free water at
pH <7.
1311–200 Acidic sour water
pH • The pH of sour water is monitored at SC206 (SW return line to SWS), SC001
1311–300 corrosion
(liquid outlet of vessel 001 FG absorber feed KO drum), and SC303 (water boot
outlet of V303).
• Acid gas loading is not expected to increase significantly, as only one RFCC train
Rich amine Flow velocity, HSAS will be running until the ARDS is reinstated.
1310 & 1320
corrosion content, acid gas loading • Process to advise on the anticipated acid gas loading after taking into account
the new H2S levels in the system.
• Increased H2S content in the system, particularly in the gas service may push
certain services from non-sour to sour as the partial pressure of H2S increases,
eg overhead of debutaniser C-304.
1311–300 Wet H2S damage H2S
• Water content at downstream water boot to be closely monitored to detect free
water presence in the system.
• Consider installing moisture/dewpoint monitoring probe at C-304 overhead piping.
Table 3: Potential Impact and mitigation

number potential impact mitigation
• Perform internal circulation at LTU to treat H2S in LPG.
1 High H2S content in LPG product stream.
• Route LPG to offspec tank and recycle back to RFCC.
• Conduct review with external experts – bottom loop remnant life will be
impacted.
2 Corrosion issue due to high sulfur and H2S.
• Increase IOW frequency, online thickness measurement.
• Bottom loop dilution with diesel to reduce sulfur concentration.
• Increase frequency of product sampling.
3 High H2S content in fuel gas system. • Amine sulfur loading is still below the design limit .
• Option to vent to flare at RFCC to reduce amine sulfur loading.
• Jumper line for hot feed from CDU to RFCC design finalisation in progress.
4 Constraint on RFCC cold feed for 100% rate.
• RFCC capable of operating at 70% flowrate.
Low mix C4 volume for downstream unit. • Increase severity of reactor.
5
• Expedite transition to max LPG mod.
• Keep catalyst makeup within loader capability (max 30 t/d).
6 Increase in catalyst makeup rate.
• Increase E-cat metal concentration subject to reactor performance.
• Enhance corrosion injection programme at fractionator overhead.
7 Overhead fractionator corrosion.
• Increase monitoring frequency.

feature refining
Figure 1: Simulation OF OVERALL RFCC CONFIGURATION TABLE 4: potential difference in product yield
Stream Design (WT%)
H2S Increased
Offgas Increased
Propylene Increased
Propane Increased
Mix C4 Increased
Naphtha Increased
Light crude oil Decreased
Crude oil Decreased
Coke Decreased
A summary of the corrosion study (which was performed for all operation (see Figure 1). A detailed simulation was developed
associated loops) is shown in Table 2. based on the design data from the design heat and material
Based on the detailed study and analysis of the alternative balance, using design feed. Once the simulation was converged,
feed for RFCC, several potential impacts were identified. The we inputed the alternative feed specification to identify the
team came up with the mitigation plan shown in Table 3. impact towards the overall yield pattern. Key features examined
Based on the corrosion study, while high-temperature sulfi- in the simulation included:
dation was a concern, the necessary mitigation was identified
and implemented to minimise the impact. • Fluidised catalytic cracking - fluid catalytic cracking
unit with single or dual riser and either one- or
Hydraulic and equipment Duty two-stage regenerators.
A different feed property would directly impact the product • Distillation column – a detailed distillation column
yield from the process. Thus, a detailed study simulation on the sub-flowsheet with a condenser and reboiler, supporting
process unit to identify any potential hydraulic limitation was side-draws, side-strippers and pump-arounds. All
vital to ensure no constraints on hydraulics while processing distillation columns in the unit were simulated.
an alternative crude. • Rotating equipment – such as compressors, pumps and
We used Aspen HYSYS software to simulate the RFCC unit air-finned cooler. All process rotating equipment was
simulated.
• Process heat exchangers
TEAMWORK: intensive brainstorming
led to creative solutions Initially, an overall mass balance comparison identified
potential differences in product yield based on the proposed
alternative feed (see Table 4). The results showed an overall
increase in naphtha and lighter components and a reduction
in heavy components. Yields would favour lighter components
due to a lighter feed distillation profile and lower feed metal
content which results in higher conversion in the reactor.
Hydraulic verifications were performed for major equipment
based on the simulated flow against the maximum design flow
of the equipment. Major equipment assessed included: main air
blower, wet gas compressor, LCO and slurry pump.
Based on the hydraulic assessment, all major equipment was
within the design capacity and no issues on hydraulics were
observed.
In addition, duty verification was also conducted to evaluate
the heat balance of the unit. Based on the verification, all of the
heat exchangers’ duties were still within the design range and
capable of running the alternative crude feed – Murban-Miri
light crudes (MurMir) (see Table 5).

feature refining
Table 5: STUDY Of MAJOR EQUIPMENT DUTY LIMITATIONs

duty (mw)
section hx remark
basrah light (bl) design case murmir difference between murmir and bl
E-101 A-B 1.95 2.36 0.42 FCV-0301 to be adjusted to maintain
100 E-102 0.22 -0.89 -1.12 feed temperature at 180ºC
E-103 39.00 39.00 0.00

E-101 A-P 60.10 56.18 -3.92
E-202 A/B 5.11 4.00 -1.11
E-203 9.42 13.14 3.72
E-204 0.72 0.76 0.04
E-205 2.26 2.21 -0.06
E-206 A-D MurMir has lower bottom yield thus
200 62.85 33.35 -29.50
E-207 A-D energy requirement is less
E-208 3.26E-05 3.16E-05 0.00

E-209 A-F 1.74 0.05 -1.70
E-210 0.25 0.19 -0.06
E-212 8.53 11.50 2.97
E-213 0.73 0.02 -0.71
Table 6: RISK ASSESSMENT Of OTHER CRITICAL PROCESS UNITS
unit impact and limitation of processing alternative crudes mitigation

• Design minimum flow for AR pump is 500 m3/h,
• Low atmospheric residue (AR) yield compared to
simulated AR yield (based on alternative crude)
Arab Medium crude
is at 466 m3/h below pump min flow. From the
• Limitation at bottom AR pump minimum flow
risk assessment conducted on operating AR pump
requirement
Crude distillation unit (CDU) nearing minimum flow line, residual risk ranking is
• CDU preheat train heat recovery – check the impact
low
of heat deficit throughout the heat exchanger
• The heat exchanger pre-heat will be monitored
network and the resultant furnace coil inlet
during alternative crude feeding since lower velocity
temperature
will be observed (at lower CDU throughput)
Kerosene hydrotreater (KHT),
Naptha hydrotreater (NHT), • Sulfur in KHT feed is much lower than design • KHT: Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) injection is required
Cracked naptha hydrotreater • No issue for NHT and CNHT during startup to maintain H2S content in recycle
(CNHT), Continuous catalytic • CCR capacity is limited due to heater duty gas at >2,000 ppm
reformer (CCR)
Management of Change Final Feed Mix

Having to process an alternative feed was a major change from After the thorough assessment and study, we had managed to
the design conditions. To keep it under control, a management of identify a suitable alternative feed which met the relaxed feed
change workflow was initiated to ensure all the associated risk was specification, and in November 2019 – seven months after the
assessed, and approval from relevant authorities was sought prior fire – the unit was successfully started up, producing on-spec
to work being carried out. As part of the management of change products.
programme, a broader risk assessment was performed to assess In conclusion, a structured and detailed analysis was vital to
the impact of the changes toward subsequent downstream units ensure comprehensive study for major plant changes and adjust-
and potential issues arising from processing of alternative feed. ment. Collaboration between all stakeholders was compulsory to
Five main units were identified as subject to direct impact from ensure all the risks associated with the initiatives were identified,
the alternative feed processing – the crude distillation unit (CDU), assessed and mitigated prior to implementation of the initiatives.
the kerosene hydrotreating unit (KHT), the naphtha hydrotreating It was a challenge to simulate the unit reaction for a feed
unit (NHT), the cracked naphtha hydrotreating (CNHT), and the which is outside of the design envelope. As the model was not
continuous catalytic reformer (CCR). Actions for mitigation were yet calibrated to the actual operating data, cross-verification
in place to overcome these issues (see Table 6). of the results was required to ensure validity of the results for

feature refining
evaluation and planning purposes. Several case study condi- 2019, the teams at PIC were ecstatic! Apart from breaking new
tions were performed for the simulation to ensure the worst-case ground, the RFCC was the final major piece to fall into place in
scenario was captured and all main boundaries were identified for RAPID’s startup plan. All main process units in the refinery,
safe operations. cracker and petrochemical plants have now started up, except
As the units were still under the care and custody of the for the ARDS, which is slated to come onstream in Q4 2020 and
EPCC, the initiatives required mutual agreement from the EPCC operate with original design crude (Basrah Light) or equivalent.
and licensor. The alternative feed may have jeopardised the unit That success had been a long time coming. The RFCC had in
condition during acceptance, but prolonging downtime would fact started up in February 2019 and was heading steadily towards
have resulted in loss of profit opportunity. Thus, a series of feed-in, when the ARDS fire incident occurred on 12 April. It threw
discussions was held, and each party provided their own simu- a spanner in the works, since the now out-of-service ARDS lay
lation and estimates on the impact of operating the alternative squarely on the process pathway between the CDU and the RFCC.
crudes. After a thorough study, a mutual agreement was achieved With no working unit to desulfurise the atmospheric residue,
to proceed with the alternative feed plan. we had no choice other than to find an alternative route for RFCC
startup. And the result of intense brainstorming among RAPID
leaders and various specialists led to a creative solution that we
teamwork like to compare to heart treatments – a ‘diet change’ for the CDU
All eyes were on the colossal RFCC at RAPID as it kicked in and and a ‘bypass’ at the ARDS.
began converting residue into high-value molecules. The facility
was blazing new trails, being a first for Petronas and Malaysia
– upgrading “bottom of the barrel” fractions into valuable feed- Shahidan Laili CEng MIChemE is Senior Specialist of Heavy
stocks and products. It is also one of the largest RFCC plants in Conversion (RFCC) at PRefChem. M Safwan Atan is Senior
the world. Technologist of Heavy Conversion (RFCC) at PRefChem. He is
When successful product rundown was achieved on 30 October currently undergoing IChemE Chartered Engineer assessment.
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feature food & drink
Success for Recipes

Tony Hasting discusses process and equipment design for food safety
T
HIS is the second article in a series examining the role • removing water from the product to extend shelf life by
that chemical engineers play in food safety, this time reducing water activity – for example, evaporation and
looking at process and equipment design. drying; and
Of the main types of contamination described in the first • packaging – enclosing the product to maintain safety
article (All You Can Eat, issue 948), that most closely asso- and quality throughout its distribution, storage, sale,
ciated with process design is microbiology, with specific and consumer use – for example active packaging
processes having been developed to either kill (inactivate) the that incorporates components into the packaging that
organisms of concern or minimise their growth rate through prolong shelf life and maintain safety and quality, and
the supply chain. The other sources – allergens, foreign aseptic packaging.
bodies, and chemicals – are mainly controlled by effective
management practices. Process design usually starts with The industry is increasingly influenced by consumer
defining the final product or products, packaging, and required demands. In the soft drinks industry, pasteurised non-
shelf life. It also needs to reflect a balance between capital carbonated products are susceptible to microbial growth, and
and running costs as well as product quality, but safety must a range of additives such as benzoates, sorbates, sulfites and
always be the top priority. dimethyldicarbonate (DMDC) are permitted for industry use.1
Food is processed to convert raw materials into desirable and A combination of consumer resistance to additives as well as
safe products, with an acceptable shelf life. The food industry an increasing concern over preservative-resistant yeasts in
uses many of the traditional chemical engineering unit opera- these products resulted in a decision by some manufacturers
tions but those most relevant to food safety are based around: to remove these chemicals, whilst maintaining the shelf life.
This required changing the filler to a far more complex aseptic
• heating the product to temperatures that will inactivate system. This involved chemically sterilising and then rinsing
the organisms of concern – for example, pasteurisation the bottle and caps with sterile water prior to filling. The filler
and sterilisation; and capper also needed to be sterilised prior to production
• cooling the product to inhibit or prevent microbiological and a sterile air overpressure was maintained during produc-
growth – for example, cooling, chilling, and freezing; tion to the critical parts of the line. This added significant
food 951 DG.indd 36 19/08/2020 15:20

complexity and cost to the operation but allowed a “clean” label,

Figure 1: determination of decimal reduction time D
free from additives.
Pasteurisation and sterilisation both use heat to inactivate
7
micro-organisms, the main difference being in the tempera-
tures used and the potential shelf life achievable. Pasteurisation 6
is widely used, particularly targeting pathogens in low-acid
LOG N NUMBER OF SURVIVORS

foods such as milk and ice cream as well as yeasts and moulds 5
in beverages. The process will not result in a sterile product
and surviving spoilage organisms will be present. These are 4
then controlled by chilling (in the case of milk and cream), and
freezing of ice cream.
3
Sterilisation aims to inactivate all microorganisms by using
higher temperatures, typically 120–150 C and when combined
o
2
with aseptic filling will provide a shelf life of several months.
This is widely used in countries whose size and climate makes
1 D MINS
chill distribution less practical.
Microorganisms grow over a limited temperature range
above which there is no further growth and at temperatures
above 60oC vegetative organisms start to die, for example TIME IN MINUTES AT CONSTANT TEMPERATURE
salmonella bacteria found in raw meat, eggs, and unpasteurised
milk. Spores are more heat resistant and require temperatures
above 100oC to inactivate them. Inactivation is a combination values for such processes are higher than for microorganism
of time and temperature with temperature being the dominant inactivation2, hence a higher-temperature, shorter-time
parameter. It is based on first-order reaction kinetics such that process will usually benefit product quality.
a plot of log (number of survivors) versus time will be a straight This approach was developed during the early part of
line.2 As microbial numbers are generally large, scientific the 20th century, particularly in support of the rapidly-
notation is used. From this the decimal reduction time, D, the expanding canning industry where such temperatures were
time in minutes at a given temperature for the surviving popu- typical. It has been shown to be effective despite its simplicity.
lation to be reduced by 1 log, ie 90%, can be determined (see Modern-day continuous sterilisation of liquid products uses
Figure 1). Pasteurisation is typically designed to achieve a 5-6 higher temperatures and shorter holding times to achieve a
log reduction of the most heat-resistant organism that could higher quality product whilst ensuring an adequate thermal
realistically be expected in the product. process is delivered.
The D value also changes with temperature and a plot of log D Whatever the process and time-temperature combination
versus temperature also results in a straight line. The tempera- selected, consideration must be given to the type of process
ture change equivalent to a 1 log reduction in D is termed z and selected:
is a measure of the heat resistance of the organism: the higher
the value, the more resistant the organism. Typical z values are • batch – product or individual pack containing product
7–12oC for bacterial spores and 4–8oC for yeasts and vegetative such as canned meat and soups, which is then heated,
bacteria. held, and cooled within a batch vessel or retort; or
This enables the rate of inactivation of the organism as • continuous – product or an individual pack containing
a function of temperature to be estimated, the lethal rate L, product is heated, held, and cooled within a heat
compared to a reference temperature: exchanger (eg fruit juice), or a continuous retort (eg
condensed soups and baby foods).
Lethal rate L = 10((T – Tref)/z)
As well as ensuring the appropriate temperature and holding
Tref is the reference temperature, usually 121.1oC for sterilisation time, other process design factors must be considered. For a
processes, and 60-80oC for pasteurisation processes. continuous heat exchange system, minimising energy costs
by maximising heat recovery is an important consideration.
The total process delivered, often defined as F, is therefore This is very effectively delivered within the industry with heat
lethal rate multiplied by the time, in minutes held at temper- recoveries of around 95% for milk pasteurisation and 85% for
ature ToC. An F value of 4 means the process is equivalent to sterilisation. Increased heat recovery requires additional heat
4 minutes at 121.1oC. Product quality losses also occur during transfer surface area, as the temperature driving forces are
the heating process, including nutrient destruction, and loss lower. This results in an increased holding time within the
of organoleptic quality, colour, texture, and flavour. The z exchanger itself but more gentle heating as the temperature
food 951 DG.indd 37 19/08/2020 15:20

differences become smaller. In many cases the quality of the and universities, public health authorities, and government
final product is more likely to be determined by the quality organisations. EHEDG publishes a wide variety of over 50
of the raw material rather than the residence time in the guideline documents based on the work of expert groups in
exchanger. specific topics. There are also links between the EHEDG and the
Microbiological inactivation is delivered in the holding tube US American 3-A Sanitary Standards organisation, as both have
between the outlet of the heating section and the start of the many goals in common, particularly in terms of harmonisation
cooling section. For milk there is a legal requirement that a of standards.
temperature of at least 71.7oC for 15 seconds or equivalent must The principles related to equipment design for hygienic
be achieved.3 The design must ensure that the fastest moving applications are covered under three main headings.
particle of product always achieves at least the legal minimum
holding time. Reliable and accurate temperature measurement 1. Materials of construction
is critical, ideally using a dual probe at the outlet of the tube Any material in direct contact with food must, as a minimum:
and mandatory instructions regarding calibration frequency
and action if the probe temperatures are outside the required • be inert to the product under all in use conditions in
accuracy. In practice, the heating section will provide a degree particular, temperature and concentration (this includes
of kill prior to the holding tube but cannot be included as part chemicals such as detergents);
of the legal requirement because the temperature profile within • be corrosion resistant, non-toxic, and non-tainting;
the heat exchanger cannot be accurately monitored and may • be non-porous and free from crevices; and
change during the run due to fouling. • be mechanically robust, smooth, and easily cleanable.
Chemical 2. Equipment fabrication and geometry

Chemical contaminants include organic pollutants such as The key requirements are:
dioxins, mycotoxins, and heavy metals such as mercury and
lead. They can enter the food chain from the environment, • avoid stagnant areas where product can accumulate and
particularly during primary production where agricul- remain for extended periods;
ture, aquaculture, fisheries and similar processes supply raw • avoid sharp corners and metal to metal contact points;
materials for further processing or direct distribution to retail. • equipment should be self-emptying and draining; and
Control is based on ensuring best practice is followed during • equipment should protect product from external
growing, harvesting and storage of food materials so that the contamination where practical.
maximum allowable levels of the pollutants are not exceeded.
Within secondary production in a factory the main potential Stagnant areas are of specific concern during production if the
sources of contamination are: product is held under conditions, particularly temperature,
where microbial growth can occur and potentially contami-
• from equipment, eg lubrication oil, hence use oil nate the product 4 (see Figure 2). Such areas can also be difficult
approved for food contact; to clean, which may potentially lead to microbial growth and
• boiler feed water chemicals if steam comes into direct an increased risk to subsequent production. One unexpected
contact with the product; personal example was an investigation of a process producing
• chemical residues from cleaning processes, which are crisp flavourings in liquid form. The product had a high salt
often cleaning parts of the production line, while others content to prevent microbial growth occurring. The only
are handling product; and cleaning required was rinsing the line during product changeo-
• creation of harmful chemicals such as acrylamide due ver or after production was completed. However, contamination
to excessive process temperatures. For such cases, the was found on several occasions, usually during the early stages
process must be adapted to manage the risk, whilst still of production. My investigation rapidly found several stagnant
delivering an acceptable product. zones within the pipework. The effect of rinsing was to dilute
the salt concentration in the stagnant zone such that the
preservative effect of the salt was lost, thus allowing micro-
Equipment design bial growth. I recommended eliminating the stagnant areas in
Despite the intense commercial competition within the the pipework, and initially increasing microbiological sampling
industry, it has long been realised that engineering has a key at the start of production, which confirmed the problem was
role in ensuring the safety of food and promoting an awareness resolved. In more general terms the product viscosity will also
of best practice. This resulted in the formation of The European significantly affect how a fluid interacts with the equipment
Hygienic Engineering Design Group, EHEDG (www.ehedg.org) geometry. For example, low-viscosity fluids will create a far
in 1989 and is now a consortium of equipment manufactur- larger degree of fluid transfer between bulk and stagnant zone
ers, food producers, food industry suppliers, research institutes than a viscous fluid. A low-viscosity fluid such as fruit juice
food 951 DG.indd 38 19/08/2020 15:20

may also be able to be pumped at a higher rate than the viscous

Figure 2: a stagnant volume within product pipework
fluid, which will again enhance the interaction.
3. Equipment cleanability PRODUCT FLOW

Cleaning may be required for microbiological, allergen or
process reasons such as fouling. It is essential that equipment
can be effectively cleaned and, where necessary disinfected or
sterilised when necessary. Key requirements are that:
POTENTIAL FOR
• equipment should be easily dismantled for cleaning; STAGNANT MICROBIAL GROWTH
• equipment should be easily visible for inspection; and VOLUME AND RECONTAMINATION
• cleaning in place (CIP) processes if used, should be OF PRODUCT FLOW
proven to be satisfactory without dismantling the
equipment.
may require different levels of hygienic design depending on

Limitations of Hygienic Design Principles the risk to the product. For example, the hygienic design of a
The principles of hygienic design are widely accepted as being mixer for raw meat would not automatically need to meet the
technically desirable and logical. However, applying these in same standards as those handling cooked meats, which would
practice is not always straightforward because: also be more costly. In general, the closer to the packaging at
the end of the line, the higher the hygiene requirements. To
• the principles are defined in isolation from the product address, this the EHEDG has defined three different classes of
being processed; equipment that are acceptable5, ranging from high standard of
• they are difficult to apply in absolute terms; an aseptic quality, to equipment that must be dismantled for
• they are related to individual items of equipment rather cleaning after production.
than the process itself; and
• they cannot always take account of the potential wear
and deterioration the material may undergo during its Conclusions
lifetime. High standards of process and equipment design are essential
for the consistent production of safe, high-quality food. From
For example, materials of construction are, ideally: an engineering perspective these two are inextricably linked
together with cleaning and disinfection, a topic which will be
• smooth, non-porous and free from crevices; and covered in the next article. It is essential that these factors are
• resistant to the product and any chemical solutions such considered as early as possible whenever a new investment,
as detergents and biocides, under in-use conditions such product formulation change, or modification to an existing
as temperature and concentration. process is being planned.
The need for materials to be non-porous is to avoid the poten-

tial ingress of fluid into their internals, from where it may be Tony Hasting CEng FIChemE is a Consultant at Tony Hasting
difficult to clean and prevent microbial growth. Stainless steel Consulting; a chemical engineer with 45 years’ experience of working
is widely used. It has generally good corrosion resistance, is and consulting in the food and drink industry.
robust and easy to clean. However, the surface roughness may
change significantly over time due to factors such as wear,
abrasion, and corrosion. Most steels are susceptible to corro- notes
sion, particularly when chlorides are present and use of a more 1. British Soft Drinks Association, Bedford Row, London.
costly alternative such as titanium may be required. This is 2. Holdsworth, D and Simpson, R, Kinetics of Thermal Processing
often the case when pasteurising sports drinks containing in Thermal Processing of Packaged Foods, p87-122, Springer, 2008.
high levels of electrolytes. While metals would be expected 3. Statutory Instrument 1086, The Dairy Products (Hygiene)
to be non-porous, materials such as elastomers, which are Regulations 1995.
widely used for sealing applications, are far more susceptible 4. Hasting, APM, The Hygienic Design of Food Processing Plant (ed
to degradation and becoming difficult to clean and avoid Brennan, JG and Grandison, AS), 533-557, 2012.
contamination. If this is the case, regular inspection or 5. European Hygienic Equipment Design Group, “Hygienic
replacement is essential. Equipment Design Criteria”, Trends Food Sci Technol, 4, 225-229,
In many process applications, the same item of equipment 1993.
food 951 DG.indd 39 19/08/2020 15:20

feature safety
HAZOP in a World of Covid

Conor Crowley looks at how his team has adapted to conduct
good HAZOPs amidst pandemic and lockdown
D
oes a HAZOP feel creative? It struck me as an unusual facilitated a fair few, for which the word “creative” would
word to have in IEC 61882, the HAZOP Application Guide, not have been the first adjective I would use. “Structured”,
but it does state that “HAZOP examination … is a creative “thorough”, “challenging”, yes. But “creative”?
process. The examination proceeds by systematically using a In some ways, we’ve probably had to be a lot more creative
series of guide words to identify potential deviations from the since the lockdowns and the wider impact of Covid-19 to deliver
design intent and employing these deviations as “triggering a good HAZOP, and that has in turn caused me to think more
devices” to stimulate team members to envisage how the devi- about how a HAZOP is or is not a creative process, and what I
ation might occur and what might be the consequences.” can do as a facilitator to make the creative magic happen. In
In his book HAZOP and HAZAN, Trevor Kletz describes some ways, it’s felt a bit like the scene in Apollo 13 where the
HAZOP as a “technique which provides opportunities for engineering team is dumped a lot of random equipment and
people to let their imaginations go free and think of all possible told to rig up a carbon dioxide filter for the stricken space-
ways in which a hazard might occur, but – to reduce the chance craft. What we’ve had available to do the job was probably not
that something is missed – it is done in a systematic way, each what we would have chosen to have in an ideal world, but like
pipeline and each sort of hazard is considered in turn.” the engineers, we’ve taken what we had and tried to make the
This may be true, but I’ve been in many a HAZOP, and even best of it.
crowleyv2 DG.indd 40 08/09/2020 11:46

feature safety
History of HAZOP going. While the media hype was all about Zoom, we were not
In the 1960s the ICI pioneers of the technique considered how allowed to use that corporately, and most of our clients seemed
to tackle the issue of increasing complexity of plants, control to be converging on Microsoft Teams or Skype. While we had been
systems, and processes, and developed the guideword-based using these tools internally for a while, the rollout of Teams for
approach we have studied and used for generations. And the full organisation was agreed and turned around remarkably
I’m pretty sure that ensuring it worked over videoconfer- quickly. A lot of the first few weeks involved bringing people up
ence software was not a prime consideration! The history of to speed on how the platforms would work. There was a lot of
HAZOP and how the story is told to us as engineers tends to be chat online, especially on LinkedIn, and the discussion seemed to
pretty linear. ICI generated the method to do detailed process be in two camps: “we should not be doing any remote HAZOPing
safety reviews of complicated process plants to test its design, as we don’t know if it works”, and “it’s just the same as a real
people outside ICI realised it was a good idea, and since the workshop, you just need to use two of your three screens as
60s/70s/80s, it’s been the process safety design testing system follows”. I found that the truth is somewhere in between.
of choice. For a number of the high-profile projects, it quickly became
Of course it wasn’t that straightforward. I was part of moot as to whether the HAZOPs were going to be fully remote,
a team that spent two years in the early 90s retrospectively co-located remote teams, or face-to-face – with no certainty
HAZOPing two complex offshore oil and gas facilities for the on how organisations were going to be allowed to work, and
first time, that had been running for 5 and 10 years before any even less certainty on things like the economic outlook, and
HAZOP examination had been done on them. Colleagues of even an unprecedented negative oil price, project delays were
mine have started HAZOPs of water treatment plants for the announced, some of them postponements and some of them
first time in 2010. cancellations.
But we clearly have a mature method to follow, one well
enough understood that an international standard could be
written about it. Get a team together, a big enough meeting The day I managed to procure a second large
room, define your nodes and off you go. And then Covid-19 screen, and join the multi-screen crew was a
happened. step forward in my meeting productivity
After a few weeks, the dust started to settle a little, and we got on
Current day HAZOP and COVID-19 with the task in front of us. Pleasantly surprised at how robust
When the lockdown came in the UK, it seemed quite sudden. I Teams seemed to be, and with the backup of older technology if
had just finished a short design HAZOP on a subsea tie-back, that was to fail, we did some one-day and two-day sessions. We
which was challenging in its own way, having a large number tore up some of the guidance which hadn’t aged well, such as
of personnel in a room representing different partnerships in asking for drawing print-offs multiple weeks before a HAZOP
the deal, and different design contractors. For three days, we started. From my laptop and writing desk, I grew a little tired
had two people dialling into the HAZOP from a timezone eight of seeing advice on how to set up multiple screens for remote
hours ahead of us. I hadn’t realised that we would all be in the workshops, knowing that I (and a number of the attendees) were
same boat as them a few short weeks later. single-screen only folk. For a few weeks, there were carefully-
curated pictures circulating of the desk setups of some of the
engineers in our teams and beyond, some of which might not
A lot of the HAZOPs we had coming up have looked out of place in mission control! It possibly shows
suddenly looked in doubt. We work in my age, but I learned about the concept of a “gaming chair”, and
worldwide industries, and project teams how this was the perfect endpoint for your multi-screen setup.
often span different countries The day I managed to procure a second large screen, and join
the multi-screen crew was, in fairness, a step forward in my
A lot of the HAZOPs we had coming up suddenly looked in doubt. meeting productivity.
We work in worldwide industries, and project teams often span
different countries, and project teams can be centred anywhere
in the world. It became very clear quite quickly that co-locating Other perspectives: the pharmaceutical sector
a full team was not going to be feasible, but we were looking at While we were seeing slow-down in the upstream oil and gas
different options for finding facilitators who were based in the sector, the pharmaceutical world was seeing the opposite.
right country to allow dispersed local teams, maybe linked via Speaking to former classmates of mine, working with PM
videoconference. A few days later, and all our major markets Group in Ireland, they were looking at rapidly reconfiguring
were in “work from home” lockdown. plants to manufacture Covid-19 treatments, and even getting
I had a few short HAZOPs and risk meetings scheduled, and facilities ready to manufacture an as-yet-unknown vaccine.
we were quickly trying to figure out how best to get things They saw a huge increase in the requirement for HAZOPs
crowleyv2 DG.indd 41 19/08/2020 15:17

feature safety
Online HAZOPing: Dos and Don’ts

Do Remember that the scribe is important to the overall success of the
HAZOP, and needs to be primed to bring the right document onto
Remember that a HAZOP is meant to be a “creative” process and
the shared screen at the right time.
consider how to make it feel creative in an online space.
Remember that it can be harder to understand people, especially Use the chat and other collaborative features to share concerns,
wording for the record, and record issues to be dealt with later in the
with regional accents, on web meetings than face-to-face.
session.
Try to keep the team engaged by targeted questioning, bringing as Consider uploading files presented as part of the discussion to the
many participants into the conversation as possible.
meeting, if that is supported.
Regularly review the participants list to ensure that the full range
of views are represented in the discussion. It is harder to interrupt
someone in full-flow in a web meeting.
Don’t
Take regular breaks through the day. We find that a face-to-face Try to make the web meeting an exact replica of a face-to-face
meeting might go up to 2 hours without the energy level dropping meeting. It’s not the same.
away unacceptably, but that much more than an hour in web
meetings is difficult.
Assume everyone has access to top-of-the-range equipment and
connectivity. It’s worth having fallback options instead of losing
Make the most of the tools you have. We are currently running both time to a slow speed. The session needs to work for the person
Teams and Skype internally, which means you can have one shared with the lowest specification machine, monitor, and connectivity.
screen showing the HAZOP worksheet being typed, and the other Two monitors may not be available to everyone.
showing the P&IDs and other documentation.
Over-rely on video to keep participants in mind. Video upload
Familiarise yourself with the features of your web-meeting software, speed (rather than screen-sharing) is the most likely thief of
and what it can bring to the experience. For example, Teams allows bandwidth. It’s more important that people can see the record
users to zoom in and out on the presented screen, without having than that you can see all the participants.
to ask the person presenting to do it. Some versions of Webex and
Forget to do the social parts of the meeting. People may not
GoToMeeting can show whether attendees are paying attention, or know each other or have met before, and forming a team feels
are actively working in other windows. different in a web-meeting environment.
staying safe: atkins team does online hazoping
crowleyv2 DG.indd 42 19/08/2020 15:17

feature safety
during the pandemic. In the first month alone, 50 remote interviewees had asked him for his preparatory questions in
sessions were chaired. While this might seem due to vaccines advance of the interviews, and he said he was glad to share
and treatment development, the increase was more due to the them, because it wasn’t the question he first asked, or the
sudden availability of operators, subject matter experts and follow-up question, but often the third or fourth question on
vendors who in normal circumstances would be on site, on a a line of questions that got the real answer. So just having the
plane or otherwise in demand. Once clients came to terms with first question is not enough. For me, HAZOP can be quite like
the situation, it was really a case of how can projects progress that – anyone can ask the “cause of no-flow” question, it’s the
under the current circumstances? “what is the worrying outcome from that?” exploration where
They had some issues with Zoom, and quickly ended up on we circle in on the real value. But the killer question, that
Teams as a platform. The majority of sessions were reduced sparks the realisation in someone in the meeting that there is
to no more than four hours actual HAZOP time per day to a problem to be solved here, is not something that comes from
maximise the energy of the team, break times were agreed a formula, but from a conversation.
at the start of each session, and wrap-ups were conducted to
capture feedback on what went well and what challenges were
faced in conducting the HAZOP remotely. The lessons were The Future of HAZOP (or does it have one?)
then shared with colleagues. To paraphrase the late Terry Pratchett, I did used to tell people
The consensus of PM Group chairs was that while there is that “when I grow old, I shall be a full-time HAZOP chair”. One
no substitute to getting key individuals in a room the remote of the best HAZOP chairs I ever saw practise was still delivering
solution was workable under the extraordinary circumstances. quality facilitation well into his 70s, so I’m probably mid-
As with other sectors if the scope is a novel, unique or difficult career as a HAZOP chair right now. But while it can be nice to
technology then room is favoured over remote. imagine being paid to fly to exotic locations around the world
and be paid to ask people “can you identify any causes of no
flow?”, if we are still doing it in the same systematic way in 20
Takeaways years’ time, I think we will have failed. There is huge potential
For me, there are a few key takeaways from the experience. in the ability to faithfully capture the plant design, operation,
Firstly, and most importantly, if all you do in a remote meeting and dynamic behaviour in more sophisticated models. There
is attempt to exactly replicate the experience of a full meeting- are emerging explanations of accidents from system theory,
room HAZOP, then you simply get all the disadvantages of a from dynamic modelling, from complexity theory.
large meeting, including poor engagement, limited contribu-
tion, and great expense, without gaining the benefits of using
collaborative tools. And, without even the physical limit on We should be able to predict, evaluate, design out
how many people can fit in a meeting room, there is even the or manage a wider range of accidents than what
risk that a workshop will become even less efficient and more we can do. We have seen computerised approaches
expensive. While the HAZOP method is pretty prescriptive, completely change other design industries
and as a result less open to optimisation for a different setting,
other workshops might be done completely differently. We’ve We should be able to predict, evaluate, design out or manage
done silent HAZIDs, where a significant proportion of the a wider range of accidents than what we can do. We have seen
meeting is people documenting their assessments onto a computerised approaches completely change other design
single document as a co-authoring experience, with the industries: a modern skyscraper could not be designed or built
speaking part of the meeting focussed on the areas where you without the computers to optimise the shape and strength.
can’t resolve differing opinions on consequence severity, or While the HAZOPs we deliver today would be instantly under-
whether safeguards are effective. standable to the ICI pioneers, I hope we will have moved into
The facilitation experience is also different. It’s hard to our version of The Shard or The Burj Khalifa, and be identi-
determine the energy level in an online meeting, with fewer fying, and understanding, more complex accidents, that will
visual clues about people’s degree of engagement, body never happen, because of that understanding. If that’s how it
language etc. The highest the energy seems to get is if two or turns out, I think I’ll be content to not be going on “HAZOP
three people are trying to start talking at the same time, but holidays”, regardless of how much I like the places I might get
that would barely register in a physical meeting. So I’ve found sent to. That would be a legacy to be proud of, even if only the
myself focussing more on the types of questions I am asking, chemical engineers understood how big a deal it was.
and to whom I am asking them, and maybe not being as able
to look at the technical input.
I heard an interview with Esquire writer and journalist Carl Conor Crowley CEng FIChemE is Process Safety Lead for Atkins
Fussman, who has been renowned over the years for getting in Aberdeen, UK. He completed his IChemE HAZOP Training in
some real scoops from his interviewees. He said plenty of November 1995.
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feature CCS
Energy Saviours Part 5

Tom Baxter looks at the parasitic load challenge of CCS
T
O deliver net zero in the UK, carbon capture and storage CO2. The CO2-rich MEA is taken from the absorber to a stripper
(CCS) at scale is seen as a key enabler by most commen- where the reaction is reversed – CO2 is released from the rich
tators and regulators.1 However, deploying CCS adds amine by the application of heat. The lean amine stripped of CO2
an additional power load, reducing the efficiency of the power is continuously returned to the absorber.
station. According to the IPPC2, for a CCS plant on a combined Figure 1 shows a simplified PFD of the blower and amine
cycle gas turbine power station, the additional power required plant.
will be in the range 11-22%. Deploying energy-efficient CCS CO2 from the amine stripper is compressed in multiple stages
facilities is therefore a key aspect of CCS design. to typically 110–120 bar, where it is supercritical. Part way along
This article presents the equipment and unit operations the compression train the CO2 is dehydrated. Water removal
associated with CCS, highlighting the main energy users, and prevents corrosion and formation of hydrates (ice-like solid
looking at options for energy saving. clathrates of CO2 and water) within the sequestration pipeline
system.
Dehydration is facilitated by molecular sieves. Here water in
CCS Plant the CO2 stream is adsorbed onto a solid alumina-silicate. This
The following describes a typical CO2 capture plant on a fossil is a timer-controlled batch process where one bed is adsorbing
fuel power station. whilst another bed, one that has previously adsorbed water, is
Flue gas from the power station is cooled, and the cooled gas being regenerated by applying heat. The bed is typically heated
feeds a blower that increases the pressure sufficient to overcome to 275oC to drive off the adsorbed water. Once the heating cycle
the pressure drop in the downstream CO2 removal plant. is complete, the bed is cooled and returned to service.
CO2 removal and solvent regeneration uses an aqueous amine Figures 2 and 3 show typical compression and dehydration
solution, typically monoethanolamine (MEA). A counter-flow PFDs. The last stage of CO2 pressure boosting is a pump, since
absorber is used in which the lean MEA solution reacts with the CO2 at high pressure behaves more like an incompressible liquid.
Figure 1: Amine Absorption of CO2 Figure 2: CO2 Pressure Boosting

DECARBONISED CO2 TO 4TH STAGE
FLUE GAS AMINE CO2 TO SEQUESTRATION SUCTION
SITE 5TH STAGE 5TH
CONDENSER COMPRESSION PUMP STAGE SCRUBBER
SUCTION 4TH STAGE
LEAN AMINE COOLER COOLER COMPRESSOR
4TH STAGE
SUCTION
COOLER
AMINE AMINE
ABSORBER STRIPPER DRAIN 3RD STAGE
RICH LEAN SUCTION
EXCHANGER SCRUBBER 3RD STAGE
COMPRESSOR
DEHYDRATOR
DRAIN
FLUE
2ND STAGE SUCTION
GAS SCRUBBER
RICH 2ND STAGE
AMINE COMPRESSOR
FLUE GAS
CO2 FROM 1ST STAGE 2ND STAGE
COOLER SUCTION
FLUE AMINE SUCTION
LEAN AMINE STRIPPER SCRUBBER COOLER
GAS 1ST
BLOWER STAGE
DRAIN
COMPRESSOR
1ST STAGE
SUCTION
RICH AMINE LEAN AMINE AMINE REBOILER COOLER
PUMP PUMP
DRAIN
baxter DG.indd 44 19/08/2020 15:12

feature CCS
Figure 3: CO2 dehydration

PC
WET CO2 INLET
PC SEQUENCE CONDENSATE
CONTROLLER SEPARATOR
COOLER
HEATER
COOLING
LC
HEAT
TC COOL
REGENERATION
MOLECULAR MOLECULAR
DRYING
SIEVE SIEVE
ADSORBER ADSORBER DRAIN
COOLING
HEATING
COOL
HEAT
DRY CO2
OUTLET
FILTER
On review of the CCS configuration it is clear that there are Flue Gas Blower
some large energy consumers: the flue gas blower, the amine Axial flow compressors are ideally suited to this high flow, low
regenerator, CO2 compressors, and the molecular sieve regener- head application. Note that with the blower suction operating
ation heaters. These introduce a parasitic load and consequently close to atmospheric pressure, the volume flow is very large,
lower the overall power plant generating efficiency. hence the significant power requirement. For a 400 MW gener-
Although application specific, Table 1 shows a typical para- ator the flowrate will be in the range 500–1,000 Am3/s.
sitic power share of the key CCS systems. The power for the blower can be estimated from the poly-
Taking the three main energy users in turn, the following tropic head expression.
describes and quantifies potential energy-saving opportunities.
table 1: CCS Parasitic Load Breakdown (* balance of plant involves

a large cooling system with power required for pumping)
System power %
Flue gas blower 10
Amine reboiler 35
CO2 compressors 45
Power relationship:
Dehydrator 5
BOP* 5
TOTAL 100
baxter DG.indd 45 19/08/2020 15:13

feature CCS
Where: 1930s so it has been around for a long time, with thousands of
∆hpoly = Polytropic head (kJ/kg) plants worldwide.
T = Temperature (K) There are a number of steps in the absorption reaction, but
Za = Average compressibility it can be summarised as:
R = Gas constant (8.314 kJ/kmol.K)
P = Pressure (Pa)
H H
n = Polytropic coefficient
k = Ratio of specific heats (Cp/Cv)
MW = Molecular mass (kg/kmol) HOCH2CH2C N + CO2 HOCH2CH2C N CO2
W = Gas power (kW)
φm = Mass flow (kg/s)
H H
Epoly = Polytropic efficiency
1/2 = Suction/Discharge
Energy requirements are principally associated with the
For a fixed flue gas composition, it is clear from the polytropic stripper reboiler, where energy is required to break the amine
equations that the key variables affecting energy efficiency are bond, vapourise water and add sensible heat to bring the rich
compression ratio, suction temperature and machine efficiency. MEA to reboiler temperature.
Hence, to minimise blower power the flue gas should be There are a range of variables to be optimised to reduce the
cooled to the maximum extent possible. power load, including:
The blower discharge pressure is dictated by the pressure
drop across the absorber. Thus to minimise blower power, low • amount of CO2 to be captured;
pressure drop packing should be selected. Structured packing is • stripper reflux ratio;
the preferred mass transfer medium here and the mass transfer • condensing temperature;
equipment vendors can offer very low pressure drop packing • stripper pressure;
– 0.1 mbar/m for this flue gas duty. For comparison, random • lean MEA circulation rate and aqueous concentration;
ring-type packing pressure loss would be an order of magni- • reboiler temperature;
tude higher. • lean/rich exchanger temperature approach; and
On similar lines, pressure losses in flue gas ducting should • packing height.
also be minimised.
As an example consider the following blower duty: Years of design and operational experience indicate that an
energy-efficient MEA plant would deliver a metric of around
Flue gas rate = 1 kg/s 3.5 MJ/kg CO2 absorbed.3
Suction pressure = 105 kPa
Discharge pressure = 125 kPa
Suction temperature = 300C
Figure 4: Split Flow Amine Absorption
k =1.4
Za = 1 DECARBONISED
FLUE GAS AMINE CO2 TO
Polytropic efficiency = 0.77 CONDENSER COMPRESSION
LEAN AMINE COOLER

Blower power requirement calculated as W = 21 kW
AMINE
STRIPPER
AMINE
Dropping the discharge pressure to 120 kPa yields a blower ABSORBER
RICH LEAN
power of 16 kW – a 25% saving. SEMI LEAN
AMINE
EXCHANGER
Reducing the suction temperature to 25oC yields a blower

power of 20.6 kW – a 2% saving.
FLUE
GAS DRAIN
RICH
Increasing the polytropic efficiency to 0.8 yields a blower AMINE
FLUE GAS
power of 20 kW – a 4 % saving. COOLER
FLUE LEAN AMINE
GAS
BLOWER
Amine Capture RICH AMINE LEAN AMINE AMINE REBOILER

The most common absorbent used for capturing CO2 is PUMP PUMP
monoethanolamine (MEA). The process was patented in the
baxter DG.indd 46 19/08/2020 15:13

feature CCS
Split Flow Pressure drop between stages = 1 bar

Energy savings can be made by deploying a split flow amine Polytropic efficiency = 75%
system (see Figure 4). Partly-regenerated amine solution is taken
from the middle of the stripper to the middle of the absorption Base case CO2 compression requirements were calculated as
column. With this arrangement the semi-lean amine absorbs 400 kW.
most of the CO2, which results in a reduced reboiler duty. Instead of a 1 bar loss between stages, a 0.5 bar loss was
Reboiler savings of around 0.3 MJ/kg CO2 have been reported.4 It simulated which resulted in a power requirement of 375 kW –
does though come at a cost for additional plant. a 6% saving.
Raising the first-stage suction pressure to 2.5 bar yielded a
Low Heat of Absorption requirement of 355 kW – an 11% saving. The suction pressure
A large portion of the energy required for absorption and of the first-stage compressor will be dictated by the operat-
regeneration lies in the breaking of the amine CO2 bond. Energy ing pressure of the amine stripper. This highlights the need
savings could be made if an alternative solvent with a lower for the full system to be considered when evaluating energy
heat of absorption was used. efficiency. If the amine system has a different designer to the
This has been the subject of much research and develop- compression system there is a clear need for both designers to
ment. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has developed a integrate their solutions to provide an overall minimum CCS
proprietary amine solvent, KS-1. MHI claims a metric of 2.5 parasitic power load.
MJ/kg of CO2 captured5 – a very significant 40% saving over
conventional MEA. Increasing compressor efficiency to 80% polytropic produces
In the UK, C-Capture is moving ahead with a non-amine a power requirement of 375 kW – a 6% saving.
based solvent. Trials are ongoing at the Drax power station. The
developers claim6 a metric of 1.5–2.0 MJ/kg – a bit of a game Reducing aftercooler outlet temperatures to 25oC resulted in a
changer if it can be commercialised. 390 kW power saving requirement – a 2.5% saving.
CO 2 Compression When all of the above sensitivities are combined, the power
Integrally-geared compressors are typically used for CO2 requirement reduces to 300 kW – a 25% saving.
compression. These are multi-shaft machines where several
pinion shafts, with two impellers each, are arranged around a Like many energy-saving opportunities there will be an asso-
central bull gear. The impellers are of differing sizes, usually a ciated increase in capital cost – reduced pressure losses will
mixed flow design, and the gearing allows for optimal specific require increased pipe/vent sizes and larger heat exchangers.
speed and maximum efficiency. Impellers are of overhung Increased compressor efficiency will increase the cost of the
design fitted with adjustable inlet guide vanes to help maintain machine. The increased cost has to be balanced against the
efficiency during turndown conditions. energy saved.
For any centrifugal machine, hydraulic efficiency is
affected by: Ramgen Compressor
Jointly funded by the US Department of Energy and Dresser
• disc friction (secondary vortex between outer surface of Rand, the Ramgen shockwave compressor7 has been described
impeller and casing); as a game changer for CO2 compression.
• surface roughness;
• leakage (backflow from discharge through seating
gaps); and
• mixing losses (flow direction changes).
Figure 5: Ramgen Compressor Principles
Since CO2 compression is often the largest contributor to CO2 VELOCITY

CO2 VELOCITY
the parasitic energy loss, it goes without saying that high MACH 2 MACH 0.5
INCREASED
efficiency machines should be selected. PRESSURE
A 5-stage compression system with aftercooling was
modelled to illustrate some energy saving opportunities. The
G
IN
base case used was:
S
ROTATING DISC
CA
OR
SS
CO2 flow = 1 kg/s

RE
Suction pressure = 1.50 bar

MP
CO
Discharge pressure = 120 bar

Aftercooler temperature = 30oC
baxter DG.indd 47 19/08/2020 15:13

feature CCS
JF Ely/ CEPR Department/ Colorado School of Mines

Figure 6: Pressure Enthalpy paths
0 200 400 600 800 1,000
100,000 100,000
CARBON DIOXIDE
REFERENCE STATES:
H (sat. liq.) = 300 kJ/kg @ T(trp)
S (sat. liq.) = 0 kJ/kg K @ T(trp)
10,000 10,000
PRESSURE, kPa
INTEGRALLY
GEARED
RAMGEN
1,000 1,000
100 100
0 200 400 600 800 1000
ENTHALPY, kJ/kg
The Ramgen compressor uses the same principle as super- of compression to supplement the amine reboiler. Calcula-
sonic jet engines. A high-speed rotating disk with a raised tions for the available heat of compression suggest a value of
v-shaped section creates a ramming effect on CO2 that has 0.4 MJ/kg CO2 can be made available for reboiling – thus
been introduced into an annular space between the disk and providing a reboiler energy saving of the order of 15% from the
the compressor casing. The CO2 velocity is increased to around current 2.5 MJ/kg CO2 offered by MHI and its KS-1 solvent. The
Mach 2 on the upward path, as the CO2 decelerates on the Ramgen is a case where a new design can offer both capital
expanding diffuser side of the disc the pressure increases. and energy savings. Whether the CCS designers make use of
Compression ratios of 10:1 can be achieved; much higher than the Ramgen remains to be seen.
the 2-3:1 typically provided by each stage of the integrally
geared, centrifugal compressor. As a result of minimising
aerodynamic leading edges, the Ramgen compressor mini- Tom Baxter CEng FIChemE is retired Senior Lecturer at Aberdeen
mises drag, thus delivering high efficiencies. A schematic of University, Visiting Professor of Chemical Engineering at Strathclyde
the compression process is shown in Figure 5. University, and retired Technical Director, Genesis Oil and Gas
Because the Ramgen can develop much higher pressures Consultants
from a single stage, only two stages would be required instead
of the five for the integrally-geared machine. The integral-
ly-geared and Ramgen pressure enthalpy profiles are shown Further reading
in Figure 6. 1. https://bit.ly/3gnDUn4
It is evident that with a 10:1 compression ratio, the Ramgen 2. https://bit.ly/2BVMWIY
will produce much higher outlet temperatures. In addition to 3. https://bit.ly/2XoVtfe
the improved efficiency of the Ramgen compressor, these high 4. https://bit.ly/3iaxNTN
temperatures offer a further energy saving – by utilising the 5. https://bit.ly/30tWKnb
heat of compression for the amine reboiler. 6. https://bit.ly/39RVvRM
A model was prepared to raise 3.5 bar steam from the heat 7. https://bit.ly/2PQNqUj
baxter DG.indd 48 19/08/2020 15:13

SABIC viewpoint circular economy
towards circular: Polymers

being produced at SABIC
A Circular Economy
for Plastics
What’s standing in the way of us closing the loop? Mark Vester discusses
P
LASTIC is a valuable resource which should never be take action to prevent plastic litter entering the environ-
wasted. However, when used plastics enter our seas, ment. Whilst the technology and desire for change exists, the
oceans, waterways and ecosystems, it is a challenge obstacles in the way of a fully-closed loop lie in reshaping our
to recover the material for reuse. SABIC’s aim for the future society, industry, frameworks and governing structures to
is that plastics should never end up in the environment or in enable all of us to become circular. A challenge to our existing
landfill and instead are reused and remade into new products. value chain and the technologies used in it, is to redesign it
The company is on a journey towards creating a circular for a more circular, integrated and optimised business model.
economy for plastics – but there is more that needs to be done Within SABIC alone, we have seen unprecedented demand
across the value chain before we can achieve this. Industry from businesses looking for solutions that are commercially
needs to accelerate the conversation about the changes needed viable while also more considerate of our environment to
to become a circular global society for the good of people and help address the plastic waste challenge. The common unifier
the planet. among these companies is the need to deliver the highest
quality solutions without ever compromising on consumer
safety, while still being able to meet the environmental and
A global societal shift sustainability goals demanded by today’s society. Manufactur-
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand to ers need to be given access to more sustainable materials so
reduce plastic waste, stop the use of single-use plastics and that they and the end-consumer can feel confident in products
vester DG xx tweaked.indd 49 19/08/2020 17:14

viewpoint circular economy
with plastic packaging, with the knowledge that the material be within reach in the not-too-distant future, municipal waste
can be recycled and repurposed. collection and recycling is a totally different ball game from
On a product level, we need to ensure that sustainability is state-to-state, let alone from country-to-country. This means
embedded in product design and development to make sure the there is no single solution which will be effective globally and
products on the market can be fed back into the value chain. Up no consistent starting point in the journey towards circular-
to 80% of a product’s environmental impacts are determined ity. European countries for example, will likely start from a
at the design phase, so it is critical for manufacturers to work well-developed infrastructure which has extended producer
together with customers to design packaging solutions which responsibility (EPR) schemes in place, as a way of holding
can be recycled. This process should include a consideration manufacturers accountable for the end-of-life impacts of
towards reducing the complexity of materials and polymers their plastic products and packaging. As a result, there will
used to create a specific product. likely already exist streams of used plastics that can serve as
SABIC is starting to see a cultural shift away from the a circular feedstock. However, in developing countries, more
disposable culture and a realisation of just how vital plastics basic collection processes may need to be put in place in the
are for applications such as healthcare and hygiene. From life- absence of EPR schemes to help collect the used plastic ready
savers such as syringes, medical masks and personal protective for recycling.
equipment to consumer items including disposable wipes, There are also seismic regulatory shifts which need to be
bottles of hand sanitiser and packaging for restaurant meals, made to enable this new circular business model and to create
plastic has proved its worth across all facets of the global a well-functioning, internal market for raw materials. We need
response to Covid-19. What is important is to demonstrate to stimulate the right conditions for circular thinking so that
where plastic is the most appropriate material to be used and used plastics are brought back into the value chain, and move
how it can be used responsibly. away from the current transactional economic optimisation.
Indeed, industry as a whole needs to encourage a broader Currently within Europe, countries are dependent on expor-
change in perception and for consumers to view plastics as a tation of used plastics for treatment overseas. It’s not enough
material which is on loan from the circular value chain. We need for used plastic to be sold and exported in the hope that it is
to empower consumers and make recycling easier through the processed and reused responsibly. We need to work to overhaul
introduction of easy-to-understand product labelling which these systems and increase the level of transparency across the
facilitates the correct separating of packaging waste. If we can value chain. Organisations putting plastic packaging on the
grow consumer understanding of the intrinsic value of plastics, market need to be sure that those materials will be brought
this will help our industry move away from a transactional back into the value chain so they can be maximised for reuse.
model and encourage legislation that reflects the invaluable
contribution that can be driven by this new, critical transfor-
mation of the value chain. Innovations in technology to close the loop
In terms of broader societal change, industry needs to bear SABIC is committed to finding innovative solutions to help
in mind that there is no global framework for waste collec- create a circular economy and close the loop on used plastic,
tion. And whilst a closed loop for commercial packaging could and in the last 12 months we have achieved some significant
milestones. Feedstock recycling holds the key to reducing
the use of conventional approaches of handling end-of-life
plastics, such as landfill and combustion.
Just over a year ago, we implemented an investment project
for the feedstock recycling of challenging mixed used plastic
back to the original polymer. Shortly after, we launched our
certified circular products coming from mixed used plastic,
alongside Unilever, Vinventions and Walki Group. And recently
we launched our TRUCIRCLE portfolio and services to give our
customers access to more sustainable materials. Since then,
these partners have successfully brought their products to
market using our circular products.
We know that the technology already exists to make the
closed loop a reality. Feedstock or chemical recycling through
processes such as pyrolysis are beginning to appear and have
demonstrated that it is possible to bring harder-to-recycle
used material back to the original quality of virgin material.
teas in a pod: Avoury’s new organic tea capsules, made
But this technology is still in its infancy and there are a number
from SABIC’s certified circular polypropylene (PP)
of steps required to make the technology truly scalable, so

viewpoint circular economy
it becomes a more competitive option when compared to

virgin polymers. The challenges to overcome to achieve this
include increasing the reactor size of the technologies whilst
improving their feedstock flexibility, yield and energy perfor-
mance to ultimately achieve a competitive and positive
cost-performance ratio.
We continue to develop new collaborations that take us closer
to closing the loop. We are working with a range of partners to
considerably increase the supply of certified circular polymers
through the construction of our first semi-commercial plant,
situated in the Netherlands. The project relies on value chain
collaborations and innovations on an unprecedented scale.
The big step forward will be when

complementary recycling technologies
can economically take the material to a
feedstock, monomer or to synthetic gas state
hot tub: Magnum is the first ice-cream brand
to use SABIC’s certified circular polymers
And whilst we are working to increase the scalability of newer
recycling technologies, we also continue to invest in improving
the quality of more mature technologies. Mechanical recycling
is complementary to other processes including feedstock recy- chain. We also need to have a dialogue with global regulators to
cling, which can take the more challenging, mixed used plastic help establish conditions needed to drive the circularity of our
which isn’t able to be mechanically recycled. industry in a transparent way, including the introduction of
The big step forward will be when complementary recycling incentives and penalties.
technologies can economically take the material to a feedstock, This engagement can be facilitated by global alliances
monomer or to synthetic gas state. This would have the benefit and frameworks that span the entire value chain and which
of bringing the material to a condition closer to the original are working to drive systemic change. SABIC is a founding
quality of virgin material. member of the World Plastics Council and the Alliance to End
We’re also working with retailers and partners on small- Plastic Waste, which bring together knowledge, resources and
scale projects which demonstrate that closing the loop is experience to support infrastructure development to manage
possible, taking used plastic household packaging and turning waste and increase recyclability. We are also supporting
it into new materials to be used once again by the retailer. In the UN and the G20 in their efforts to prevent marine litter
doing so, we hope to accelerate the conversation about the and are a member of The Ocean Clean Up, which is collect-
changes needed to become a circular global society. ing plastic waste from our oceans. We are founding members
also in the World Economic Forum Collaborative Innovation for
Low Carbon Emitting Technologies Platform, working across
Collaboration is key the petrochemical industry to bring forward breakthrough
None of the change required will be possible without true solutions to reduce our industry carbon footprint. Through
collaboration, and no one company can address these issues continuous engagement and collaboration, we strive to help
alone. As an industry, we need to bring together and work along- solve global challenges and play our part in shaping an exciting
side players across the entire value chain, through platforms new world that uses its finite resources wisely.
such as the Polyolefins Circular Economy Platform (PCEP). The Throughout this journey we have learnt that in order to
PCEP brings together European polyolefins producers, plastics change our industry, we need to take risks. We have to make
converters and recyclers to advance the circular economy by steps to transform our businesses and processes whilst we
stimulating market, system and technological developments. define our circular economy – we need to continue to innovate
This engagement should be supplemented with precompet- and engineer new technologies to drive the circular model,
itive research and initiatives to drive the change and facilitate whilst regulations and frameworks start to take shape. Industry
the development of a framework to define our new circular needs to take these first steps together today to drive the
value chain. As an industry, we will need to find different ways change, so we can all start to use our finite resources wisely.
of working together with companies that historically have
been more focussed on collection, sorting and treatment of
products to bring together the different strands of the value Mark Vester is Global Leader, Circular Economy at SABIC

vendor viewpoint instrumentation
Chem Plants Dream of

Electric Bleeps
Simon Jagers and Gerben Gooijers show how you can raise plant
reliability using current and voltage data
E
VERY year since 2017, Nouryon (formerly Akzo-Nobel proven MCSA’s value for a wide range of industrial equipment,
Specialty Chemicals) runs an innovation challenge called from agitators to yaw systems (used in wind turbines).
Imagine Chemistry, which recognises novel technologies SAM4 adds voltage measurements to the basic technique.
with the potential to drive growth in the chemical industry. In That raises the system’s sensitivity and accuracy. It also confers
2018, our company was one of the winners. the ability to automatically handle varying loads and speeds
At Semiotic Labs, we develop machine learning technology and calculate energy efficiency, which allows it to monitor
that can accurately predict over 90% of developing failures in assets operating in flexible production systems.
rotating equipment such as blowers, pumps, and compressors, For the rest of this article, we’ll use the acronym MCSA to
up to five months in advance. In late 2018 Nouryon trialled our refer to systems that capture both current and voltage.
system – named SAM4 – at its chlorine plant in Ibbenbüren,
Germany to monitor the health of several blowers and pumps.
Based on the success of that project, it extended its SAM4 pilot in Making maintenance 100% predictable
mid-2019 to include two dozen pumps, blowers, and compressors Plant performance relies on equipment that’s running smoothly.
at the company’s salt plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. Now, in Without data on a machine’s condition, maintenance strategies
2020, Nouryon is rolling out SAM4 to additional assets at both are often constrained to two extremes: let less-critical equip-
trial plants and five other sites in Europe. ment run to failure (at the cost of more expensive and
So what is this novel technology that has Nouryon so enthused? time-consuming replacement), and preventively replace or
maintain critical equipment to avoid failure (at the cost of
premature parts replacements and the associated labour, plus
Motor current signature analysis + voltage more planned downtime than you would otherwise need – and
SAM4’s anomaly detection algorithms are based on a technique downtime is downtime, even if planned). The holy grail is a best-
called motor current signature analysis (MCSA). Where other of-both-worlds strategy called predictive maintenance: a way to
techniques analyse vibrations or oil or temperature to monitor identify precisely which machines are beginning to degrade (and
equipment health, MCSA analyses alternating current signals. which are still running just fine), so the plant’s maintenance
The technique has a long track record. It was first suggested engineers can service precisely the machines that need it at the
in the 1970s to reliably monitor motors in nuclear power plants next planned stop. With enough high-quality data and analyti-
from a safe distance. Since then a vast body of research has cal power, a predictive strategy will incur the minimum possible
pumps DG.indd 52 19/08/2020 17:48

cost to ensure maximum equipment reliability.

figure 1: Motor current signature analysis (MCSA) tracks
Until recently, that ideal could only be poorly approximated
changes in the current and voltage frequency spectra to
using (time-consuming) manual measurements and (costly)
diagnose developing equipment failures
human expert analysis. But advances in artificial intelligence
and the Internet of Things are now bringing true predictive
maintenance within reach, by making it possible to capture and
analyse vast quantities of condition monitoring data in real time.
How SAM4 works

The technology uses high-frequency sensors installed inside
the motor control cabinet to measure all three phases of current
and all three phases of voltage. The gateway performs initial
signal processing on the data locally, then encrypts and sends it
to the SAM4 platform over 4G, wi-fi or ethernet.
Self-learning AI processes the incoming data 24/7 to detect
and classify developing faults as soon as they begin, and data
analysts review automatic flags and contact the customer with
a detailed analysis and recommendations.
Finally, an online client dashboard provides continuous
real-time information on the health, performance and energy
consumption of the connected assets.
Where MCSA shines (A) MCSA USES THE FAST FOURIER TRANSFORM TO
Analysis based on current and voltage data has some advan- CONVERT THE CURRENT AND VOLTAGE SAMPLES INTO THE
FREQUENCY DOMAIN
tages over other condition monitoring technologies:
• MCSA sensors don’t need to be near the equipment.

Where systems based on vibration, oil, or temperature
must install on or near the asset, MCSA uses current
transformers and voltage taps that reside in the motor
control cabinet. This location makes the sensors easy
and safe to install, and it shields them from operational
hazards – a clear plus for chemical plants riddled with
assets in ATEX zones and hazardous areas. (B) COMPARING THE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM AT DISTINCT
• One installation can detect faults in all parts of the MOMENTS IN TIME CAN REVEAL CHANGES THAT SIGNAL
DEVELOPING PROBLEMS – AKA ‘FINGERPRINTS OF FAILURE’.
motor and the driven equipment: bearings, gears, HERE, THE BLUE PEAKS AT MULTIPLES OF THIS MOTOR’S
impeller, stator, etc. MCSA is, by design, sensitive to all ROTATIONAL FREQUENCY ARE THE HALLMARK OF A BROKEN
frequencies. In contrast, sensors that capture vibrations ROTOR BAR
(including sound) are sensitive in a narrow frequency
band, and that sensitivity rapidly falls off as distance STATUS
from the vibrational source increases. IMMEDIATE

ACTION
INSPECT
• MCSA detects electrical faults much earlier than other UNDER
REVIEW
techniques. Electrical changes are directly visible in the ALL GOOD
current and voltage signals, long before they manifest

as a change in vibration or temperature. Given that
electrical faults are responsible for roughly 30% of
industrial motor failures, this is a significant advantage.
• MCSA can automatically classify operating points. Most (C) TRACKING CHANGES OVER TIME AT ONE OF THE FAULT
condition monitoring techniques are blind to changes FREQUENCIES FOR THE BROKEN ROTOR BAR IN (B). THE
in load and speed, making it hard to know whether a COLOURED VERTICAL LINES SHOW WHERE SAM4’S AI
SOFTWARE FLAGGED A NEW STATUS (SEE LEGEND)
change in the data reflects a developing problem or just
a change in operational parameters. Because load and
pumps DG.indd 53 19/08/2020 17:48

figure 2: MCSA can detect and localise faults in every part of the connected asset, and will detect electrical faults as soon as they
begin to develop
A RISE IN THE NOISE A RISE AT THE MOTOR’S

FLOOR AROUND THE ROTATIONAL FREQUENCY AND ITS
SUPPLY FREQUENCY IS HARMONICS PLUS A RISE IN THE A STATOR WINDING SHORT CIRCUIT
TYPICAL OF PUMP CAVITATION NOISE FLOOR IS TYPICAL OF A TYPICALLY SHOWS A RISE AT THE
COUPLING FAULT THIRD CURRENT HARMONIC
STATOR
ROTOR VFD
MOUNTING FRAME
ASSET IN THE FIELD MOTOR CONTROL CABINET

A RISE AT A BEARING’S CAGE
FREQUENCY IS TYPICAL OF
MCSA SYSTEMS CAN INSTANTLY
BEARING DEGRADATION. IF THE
IDENTIFY SUPPLY-SIDE
RISE WERE AT A DIFFERENT
PROBLEMS SUCH AS VOLTAGE
FREQUENCY, THE MCSA SYSTEM
AND CURRENT UNBALANCE,
WOULD KNOW THE PROBLEM
HARMONIC DISTORTION, AND
WAS IN A DIFFERENT BEARING
POWER QUALITY ISSUES
speed are directly related to current and voltage, MCSA distinguish between identical components, which have
systems have this information for free, so they can identical fault frequencies. For these, use a condition
automatically compare each incoming data point with monitoring technology that places one or more sensors
the machine’s right baseline behaviour. on each individual component. Alternatively, use SAM4
• MCSA can provide real-time performance and energy to detect that there is a failure, and a specialist to
metrics. The presence of both current and voltage localise the failure.
data makes it possible to track several extras that can • MCSA can’t detect leaks until they become severe
help chemical plants be profitable, safer, and more enough to produce mechanical effects. Thermal cameras
sustainable, such as a real-time pump curve, energy and acoustic sensors are the superior choice here.
efficiency monitor, and power quality metrics.
Future work
Part of a comprehensive predictive SAM4 is currently limited to low-voltage motors; we are
maintenance strategy running pilot projects on medium-voltage motors, and plan
MCSA can do a lot, but it can’t do everything. For some indus- to roll that out by the end of the year. We’ve just completed
trial equipment, chemical plants will be better served by a successful feasibility studies on induction generators and
different condition monitoring technique: two-speed motors and are rolling out our first pilot projects.
Looking a little further into the future, we’re investigating the
• MCSA only works on alternating current systems. It use of variable speed drives (VSDs) as sensors, which would
can’t monitor non-electrical assets or those powered by enable us to integrate SAM4 into VSDs at the OEM level. And
DC motors. Though MCSA might see a part’s collateral we are always on the lookout for new performance metrics that
impact on a connected AC system, you should use can help our clients get the most out of their equipment for the
vibration, sound, or temperature to monitor things like lowest environmental footprint.
gate valves and tank wall integrity.
• MCSA can’t monitor identical items driven by the same
motor. In systems with diverse parts such as the asset Simon Jagers and Gerben Gooijers are Founders at Semiotic
in Figure 2, MCSA can accurately localise developing Labs. Further information and explanation can be found at
faults by monitoring their shared motor. But MCSA can’t www.semioticlabs.com/chemical
pumps DG.indd 54 19/08/2020 17:48

We provide individual and
tailor-made vacuum solutions
to our customers.
www.buschvacuum.com
pumps DG.indd 55 19/08/2020 17:48

viewpoint volunteer spotlight
Tan Geok
Chai
CEng FIChemE
Shining a light on the valuable work of IChemE volunteers
G
eok Chai, you volunteer as Southern Regional Volunteering with IChemE allows me to engage people with
Ambassador for IChemE. Tell us a little about yourself. similar skills working in different industries. It helps me to
Currently retired, I was previously Managing Director learn new skills, at the same time making new friends and
with Pacific Oleochemicals until August 2018. expanding my network, and boost my social skills. As a volun-
I started my career with Akzo Nobel Oleochemicals (now teer within IChemE, it provides opportunities for me to develop
Pacific Oleochemicals) in 1980 as Plant Manager, and I was my non-technical skills, like organising technical seminars
promoted to General Manager in 1997. The plant was solely and social events. It is rewarding to bring people together at
manufacturing various fractions of fatty acids and refined technical and social events and raises awareness of the range
glycerine from palm oil and palm kernel oil. I was further of people and skills that exist in the Southern region. All these
promoted to Managing Director in 2001 and worked till my events and activities can support chemical engineers to share
retirement in 2018. knowledge and promote the profession at a regional level.
What subjects did you study, and why? What skills or qualities are required for your volunteering role?
I studied Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with I must be able to effectively help to disseminate informa-
Honours at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. tion about IChemE membership and activities, and to offer to
The chemical engineering degree provided all the technical arrange and host events such as technical meetings, presenta-
knowledge required for my job in the early part of my career as a tions to students or company groups. Besides I would need to
chemical engineer in the palm oil industry and subsequently in provide networking in order to raise awareness of the impor-
the oleochemical industry. This requires technical knowledge tant contribution of chemical engineers make to business and
of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, material science, math- society.
ematics and more. Besides, chemical engineering subjects like
unit operations, process flow, heat and mass transfer, thermo- What has been the most rewarding part of your volunteering
dynamics and fluid mechanics provided the relevant knowledge experience?
that must be applied within the industry I have worked for over The most rewarding part of my volunteering experience is to
the last 43 years. make new friends and strengthening existing relationships
by committing a shared activity together. It also gives me the
How long have you been volunteering for IChemE, and why opportunity to practise and develop my social skills, as I
do you do it? am meeting regularly
I have been volunteering for IChemE in the role above
since 2012.
volunteer951 DG.indd 56 19/08/2020 17:18

viewpoint volunteer spotlight
with a group of people with common interests. By being
Loss Prevention
an IChemE volunteer at a regional level, it’s rewarding to
see chemical engineers I mentored becoming chartered
after they have shown their commitment to chemical
Bulletin
engineering.
What is your proudest achievement in your professional

life to-date?
The leading source of case

The proudest achievement in my professional life was in
2012 when I was involved in organising the 4th Regional
Process Safety Seminar held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the
studies in process safety
first time it was run by IChemE. The event was successfully
organised and went smoothly with good participation of
chemical engineers from the southern region. The achieve-
ment was largely due to hard work and support from the
co-workers and good networking in the region.
I’m also proud of being able to serve in Malaysia’s palm
oil industry for 43 years, and as one of the pioneer chemical
engineers in its oleochemical industry. This journey is
indeed my most gratifying experience in my career.
What would we find you doing outside of work on the

weekend?
During the weekend, most of my time is spent with
Company licences
the family and close friends – this has given me most
available for this
pleasure. Besides I do exercise both indoor and outdoor to
essential resource
keep fit and healthy. Occasionally, I also attend Buddhist
teaching classes and activities.
Now with a 40-year archive of lessons
What is your advice for others who might be considering
learned, the Loss Prevention Bulletin covers
volunteering for IChemE?
Volunteering for IChemE is a responsible task which
major accidents such as Bhopal, Seveso,
requires you to dedicate considerable time, especially Piper Alpha, Texas City and Buncefield, as
when an event is being held in the region. You may well as lesser known incidents and near-
need to be available as a local channel for information misses whose details are not widely available
about IChemE membership and events such as technical
elsewhere.
seminars.
It is preferred that you are a Chartered Member of Subscribe today and learn vital process safety
IChemE, and you will need to comply with the necessary
lessons.
constraints on use of membership data.
This the tenth article in a series that highlights Subscribe at www.icheme.org/lpb

the variety of work done by IChemE
member volunteers. To read more,
visit the series hub at
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/
tags/volunteer-spotlight
MB0240_20
SEPTEMBER 2020 | TheLPB

Chemical Engineer | page 57
HP VAD.indd 1 13/08/2020 15:20
volunteer951 DG.indd 57 19/08/2020 17:18

book review
What Went Wrong? 6th Edition

Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and
How They Could Have Been Avoided
TREVOR KLETZ & PAUL AMYOTTE Summary

ISBN: 9780128105399 (HARDCOVER) 9780128105405 Extending knowledge from previous
(EBOOK); BUTTERWORTH-HEINEMANN; 2019; £64.36 editions, this comprehensive book uses
examples of plant accidents to help
illustrate causes, to help avoid similar
W
h a t Went Wrong? The 6th Edition analyses process tragedies. A good choice for engineers with
industry accidents and disasters and identifies some working knowledge of process safety,
the design, operational, and management causes. looking to deepen their understanding.
Through case histories the book highlights the issues that
resulted in disaster, helping to ensure that similar tragedies can
be avoided. It allows others to learn from mistakes without first
having to incur loss. Furthermore, it notes how likely disasters to succeed in the attempt, the consequences could have been dire.
are to happen again in our lifetime by highlighting the lessons The examples of incidents used in the book are clearly
learned from previous disasters. described, and there are good accompanying sketches and
The book outlines the history of safety and how it developed, pictures which give the reader insight into how the incidents
which includes the book authors’ personal experience and view occurred and where they occurred within facilities.
about the subject. This edition of What Went Wrong? repeats the concept of process
As a Professional Process Safety Engineer specialist, I am safety and current techniques employed by process safety tech-
familiar with What Went Wrong? and I own the previous edition of nicians as evaluation tools, such as HAZOP, HAZAN, SIL, risk
the book. As such, I could spot the changes that had been made assessment and other methodologies. These are well presented
in the 6th Edition. and explained, as the authors use clear and simple language
In this latest edition, Paul Amyotte continues and extends to describe these risk techniques. Furthermore, an example of
the knowledge, innovation, and strategies of previous editions, evaluations was used to demonstrate how these techniques are
authored by the late Trevor Kletz, by introducing new material carried out and to give readers a clear understanding of them. In
on recent incidents, including updated information on the 2005 this regard, the book encourages doing everything in the safest
Texas City Refinery and Buncefield incidents. It also features manner possible, summing this up with the phrase “whatever
an extensive new section that shows how many accidents occur we are doing, do it safely”.
through simple miscommunications within the organisation,
and how straightforward changes in design can often remove or
reduce opportunities for human error. The incidents described in this book could occur
Further additions include new case histories from other in many types of plant and it should therefore be
industries and applications, such as bioprocessing facilities, of interest to a wide variety of plant operators.
pilot plants, laboratories, and electronics manufacture. Addi- I recommend it to any person with an interest in
tionally, it offers an introduction to process security, cyber industrial safety and process safety
security, warning signs, and domino effects. Based on my expe-
rience, the introduction of cyber security in the 6th Edition is The book also highlights how important it is for plant opera-
very important. Whilst I was working in the chemical industry tors to use the right personal protective equipment (PPE) and
a hacker tried to hijack a plant’s sensors in an attempt to make gives examples of types of protective clothing – such as overalls,
it provide false readings and feign normal system operation to boots, and gloves – and when they should be used. The book
the control system. Furthermore, they tried to hijack the actua- advocates the use of full safety suits when there is the need for it,
tors to send the system beyond its safety range. Thankfully, the and in certain operations the use of respirators and head protec-
intrusion was detected and halted; if the intruder had managed tion with the current use-by date.
bookreview951 DG.indd 58 19/08/2020 15:15

book review
It is worth noting that the book highlights leadership in entire book is going to be a challenge.)
process safety and puts forward the case that when process The incidents described in this book could occur in many
safety leadership sits within the operational business unit it is types of plant and it should therefore be of interest to a wide
at the mercy of the operational hierarchy. This creates conflict variety of plant operators. I recommend it to any person with
of priority and the role is not as free to challenge the organisa- an interest in industrial safety and process safety. Those who
tion as required. What Went Wrong? suggests that process safety provide training courses in these areas could use it to inform
roles should sit independently of the operation, to help show their lessons and it could serve as a reference book for under-
the importance placed on safety by the leaders, and therefore graduate and postgraduate students studying all forms of
drive safety culture. engineering. I would also recommend the book to engineers that
As a process safety professional, the leadership issue is one already have some working knowledge of process safety and are
I have come across. Sometimes companies will make an effort looking to gain a greater depth of understanding on the topic.
and separate technical safety from other parts of the business; I have found this book to be a very useful reference which
if they manage to do so, it can contribute significantly to the has provided me with insight into different processes outside
business’ bottom line. my existing knowledge, such as in the oil and gas, petrochemi-
Sometimes it is difficult to show the history of safety and cals and pharmaceutical industries. In the future, I will use this
how it developed with a technical and industrial explanation. latest edition to update the safety incident training material that
However, this book has succeeded, largely breaking the story I deliver, and I will certainly count this book amongst my key
into identifiable timelines which readers can easily follow. references for my day-to-day technical safety work.
It further benefits readers by including direct refer-
ences and an index, thereby enabling interested readers to
further explore and gain a deeper understanding of certain Reviewed by Azzam Younes CEng FIChemE, Professional Process
subjects. (Although to go through all the references of the Engineer
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bookreview951 DG.indd 59 19/08/2020 15:15

news icheme
coronavirus
Stream IChemE’s
Covid-19 webinars
ICHEME’s Covid-19 Response Team
icheme100 has been organising and supporting
a series of webinars in collaboration
caption:
with members both inside and out-
Centenary volunteers seek your stories side of the Institution on the topic
East to
of Covid-19. Members can stream
IN preparation for the celebration of its centenary, IChemE is calling on members to recordings of them via the links below.
suggest storylines that honour the valuable work of chemical engineers. Presenters include collaborators
The volunteers planning the centenary activities are seeking suggestions related to three at the IChemE Safety Centre, IChemE
timelines: past (1900–1970s); present (1970s–2020) and future (2020–2100) that will SIGs, ISPE UK COVID-19 Response
help explain to the wider public how chemical engineering supports any of nine themes Project, and academia and industry.
related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: social experience; energy; food and Process Safety Considerations During
water; transport; environment and sustainability; materials; health; processes and safety; Covid-19: https://bit.ly/33UUd7o
education and technology. Hierarchy of Controls & Risk
“More than ever, society urgently needs the solutions that chemical engineers deliver,” Assessment in the Context of
said Nigel Hirst, Chair of the IChemE100 Platform & Services Working Group. “Let’s use Covid-19: https://bit.ly/3an8MSH
IChemE100 to showcase what we can do.” Covid-19, IChemE and Teesside:
Did you work on a unique health project? Have you helped to solve a water treatment https://bit.ly/3atQpeQ
problem? Or do you have an idea for a public engagement event? Please provide a brief Tackling the challenges presented by
description of your story/idea here: https://bit.ly/3h8XPqb Covid-19: https://bit.ly/3gV7u3G
“IChemE is nothing without its active membership. We appreciate your support in this
exciting project,” said John McGagh, IChemE100 Steering Committee Chair. learned society
New to Knovel
education ICHEME members can now access new
books using IChemE’s online resource
IChemE approves diploma Knovel, as well as an associated app.
Knovel is an online technical resource
ICHEME has approved the Bulk Storage Operator Technician level 3 diploma of high of books, interactive equations, and
Reynolds Training Services, which is the first level 3 diploma to be approved by IChemE. analytical tools for engineers. Last year
The diploma is part of a two-year apprenticeship which focuses on process and IChemE members searched the online
occupational safety, human factors, and emergency response, and then aligns these library more than 63,500 times. Using
with technical operations. Reynolds Training Services was recommended by IChemE the Knovel ToGo app, IChemE members
assessors for its outstanding simulation facility, and the teaching of process safety will now be able to freely access more
fundamentals at an exceptionally high standard. The approval of a level 3 diploma pro- than 300 leading technical reference
vides a new route to technical recognition for the sector, where apprentices can work works – including the new books.
towards a professional Engineering Technician (EngTech) qualification. Books added include Chemical
Bill Harper, who volunteers as part of IChemE’s qualifications activities and led the Projects Scale Up: How to Go from Labo-
assessment of the programme, said: “As we look to widen our offering and enable more ratory to Commercial, and Coulson and
flexible pathways to professional qualification, we at IChemE are committed to sup- Richardson’s Chemical Engineering: Vol-
port our colleagues in industry in developing apprenticeship frameworks to enhance ume 2A: Particulate Systems and Particle
the skills pipeline.” Technology (6th Edition).
John Reynolds, Managing Director of Reynolds Training Services, said: “As a techni- Access your Knovel resources: https://
cal qualification, it signposts a career journey through IChemE’s engineering technician www.icheme.org/knowledge/knovel/
process. From managerial, safety engineering, maintenance and beyond, it empowers Download the app: https://bit.
people to broaden their career horizons, advance their skills and, crucially, keep those ly/31NOH3V
all-important skills within the sector.”
ichemenews AD DG.indd 60 19/08/2020 15:46

The Chemical Engineer letters
SEND YOUR FEEDBACK TO LETTERS@ICHEME.ORG, @TCEMAGAZINE, FACEBOOK.COM/TCEMAGAZINE
unhealthy work culture imported emissions decreased by only 15%. In practice, UK-based
Thanks to Wellcome Trust for bringing to the surface the unhealthy consumption drives emissions across the globe. See: www.wwf.org.
culture at research workplaces (p4, issue 946). uk/carbon-report-2020
With 43% of respondents reporting bullying and only 44% Peter Foster CEng FIChemE
adequate wellbeing support, it seems that the environment at a
considerable number of workplaces where knowledge is developed
suffers. It is time now that the victims of such phenomena react A Nuclear route for hydrogen
and speak; and their colleagues must also urge them to. The importance of hydrogen as a fuel for the future and its manu-
Let us all, in addition to our core business, be more concerned on facture and transportation has been emphasised in recent editions.
this subject at the workplaces where we are present and contribute It must, of course, be produced by steam reforming of natural gas
to a working environment that supports mental health. with CCUS, or electrolysis of water using renewable electricity.
Leandros Nicolaides AMIChemE There is another way of producing carbon-free hydrogen and
that is by splitting water via the sulphur iodine process using high
grade heat. The high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) uses
A perspective on Net Zero helium as the working fluid and produces heat at 950°C. A demon-
Further to the article Hydrogen: Informing a Safe Decision to Achieve stration HTGR has been operated by the Japan Atomic Energy
Net Zero (p18, issue 948), net zero means any emissions would be Agency for ten years and there are plans to build such reactors in
either balanced by schemes to offset an equivalent amount from the UK, using the UK nuclear supply chain.
the atmosphere or avoided by using CCS technology. However, The demand for hydrogen is expected to be huge. It will be
this would not be “job done” because emissions associated with a challenge for the chemical industry and particularly young
our imported goods are listed in the countries where they are chemical engineers. Nuclear Power will play a crucial role in
manufactured. achieving net-zero carbon energy by 2050.
Between 1990 and 2016 the UK reported a 41% reduction in the Ian Fells FIChemE
emissions within its borders. In the same period, emissions associ-
ated with imports increased: their proportion of total emissions was
14% in 1990 and 46% in 2016. As a result, the total of domestic plus The editor reserves the right to edit all letters.
EDITORIAL Statements and opinions expressed in The Chemical Engineer are the responsibility of
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Institution of Chemical Engineers. The Editor and the Institution do not accept liability
Managing Editor: Delyth Griffiths, dgriffiths@icheme.org, +44 (0)1788 534424
for any incorrect information written by the authors of articles.
Staff Reporter: Amanda P Doyle, adoyle@icheme.org, @amanda_tce
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letters AD DG.indd 61 19/08/2020 15:47

Training & Events Calendar
visit www.icheme.org/training
what engineersHuman
need to Factors11in Health
august 7
and Safety
know about contracts
Layer of Protection
Analysis (LOPA)
27 Who Are You and Q&A Modules startModular training for the process
Modules start
industries – 11 september
27 August, 15:00 BST, Online 7 september, now available online 10:00–13:00 BST, Online
A brief introduction to the 10:00–13:00 BST, Online A better understanding of human factors – how the people, the job and the organisation interact as a whole
Learn about the LOPA
– can help drive safety standards and overall business performance.
Yet many of the safety and operational professionals charged with managing human factors have no formal
Sheffield MG committee, what Understand contract law

qualifications or training in the human and behavioural sciences. methodology and how to apply it.
Human Factors in Health and Safety addresses this gap.
we do and our passion for for engineering and

This modular training programme examines the core human factors www.icheme.org/live-lopa
issues in the process industries and
resources sector, and shows you how to implement practical solutions to manage them effectively. Training
chemical engineering. construction projects. is available online in 2020 and face to face in the UK and Australia in 2021.
www.icheme.org/whoareyou www.icheme.org/live-contracts
The modules:
■ Managing Human Factors 14
8– practical aspects of ■ Managing Human Failure
september 11 dsear compliance services

8–11 september,
■
■
Strengthening Organisational Performance
Human Factors in Design
“Human Factors in Health and Safety

1 Balancing Resilience and Manchester, UK has given me the confidence to lead
the human factors agenda at a top tier Human Factors in
Drinking Water Quality Covers hazardous area COMAH site.”
Ian Taylor, Health and Safety
1 September, classification, dust, gas and
SABIC UK Petrochemicals
Modules start
17:00 BST, Online vapour explosion“Human
hazards,
Factors in Health and Safety
is an excellent learning opportunity
14 september
Using water safety planning to industrial electrostatic hazards
and an important addition to the
health and safety toolbox.”
09:00–11:00 BST,
manage the new compliance risk and non-electrical ignition Ron Ramshaw,
Interconnector, UK Online
of different water sources. risk assessment. Find out more: www.icheme.org/human-factors
www.icheme.org/balancing www.dekra-uk.co.uk/en/ Our modular online human
In partnership with
resilience atex-dsear-training factors training examines the core

LPB274
human factors issues in the process

2 Process Safety
9
industries and shows you how to
Leadership and How implement practical solutions to
to Have Some Fun manage them effectively, in order to
2 september, drive safety standards and overall
08:30 BST, Webinar business performance.
The IChemE Safety Centre’s Trish www.icheme.org/live-
Kerin will share her insights into Today’s Waste, Tomorrow’s human-factors
process safety leadership. Resource – Plastic
www.icheme.org/isc-events Recycling into Feedstock
2– Control and Operation of 9 september, 18:00–20:00 BST, 16 Cyber Security and
4 Centrifugal Gas Webinar Process Safety
Compressors Thames Valley 16 september,
2–4 september, Members Group 08:30 BST, Webinar
10:30–13:00, Aberdeen, UK Marvine Besong (Technical
The IChemE Safety Centre
A practical introduction to will discuss some cyber
Director at Recycling Technologies)
centrifugal gas compressors and security breaches that have had
will present the status and
their operation in process plants. process safety implications.
challenges of plastics recycling,
www.esd-simulation.com/courses www.icheme.org/isc-events
and RT’s innovative continuous
3 hazard identification thermal cracking process to 16 Fundamentals of Process
techniques transform mixed plastic waste Safety
Modules start 3 september, including plastic film, bags, and Modules start 16 September,
10:00–13:00 BST, Online even crisp packets into Plaxx, 10:00–13:00 BST, Online
Learn the principles, a valuable hydrocarbon product Increase your understanding
advantages and limitations of key with multiple uses in the wax of the key principles of process
hazard identification and petrochemical sectors. safety and its management.
techniques. www.icheme.org/todayswaste20 www.icheme.org/live-
www.icheme.org/live-hazard-id fundamentals
newdiary951 DG.indd 62 19/08/2020 15:55

17 Achieving Climate Neutral 23 Introduction to Steam 29 chemeca
through a Sectoral and Condensate System webinars start
Approach Operation 29 september,
17 September, 23 September, Online
10:30 BST, Online 18:00 BST, Online A series of webinars on the
The webinar will set out views High-level introduction to steam theme of “renew, sustain,
on the EU Green Deal illustrating and condensate loop, specific to disrupt, advance”.
a transition to climate neutrality the oil, gas & chemical sector. www.chemeca2020.org
based on Shell’s new EU Sketch www.icheme.org/steam-2020
Scenario.
www.icheme.org/achieving- 24 Benefits of Configurable october
climate-neutral
I/O in Automation Systems 1 Consequence Modelling
24 September, Techniques
21 10:00 BST, Online
This webinar will explore the
Modules start 1 October,
10:00–13:00 BST, Online
benefits of configurable I/O both Learn to predict accident effects
from an upfront engineering de- and their impact on people and
sign view and from an ongoing property.
operational perspective. www.icheme.org/live-
www.icheme.org/configurable- consequence-modelling
webinar
engineering
project management 28 HAZOP Study for Team november
Leaders and Team Members
Modules start
21 september Modules start 26
14:00–17:00 BST, Online 28 september
14:00–17:00 BST, Online
–27
Review best practice when An integrated course for team
managing engineering
members and new team leaders.
projects, and discover the
www.icheme.org/live-
range of project manage- hazards 30
hazop-team
ment systems, tools and 26–27 november,
techniques available. This virtual
28 Process Safety Leadership Our annual Hazards process
modular course will help
and Culture safety conference will be
you to apply a structured
approach to project delivery
Modules start delivered virtually this
and better manage issues
28 september year. Join us online to
during the project lifecycle.
10:00–13:00 BST, Online review good practice,
Understand the role of leader- discover new techniques
www.icheme.org/
ship in process safety. and approaches, explore
live-project-management
www.icheme.org/live- lessons learned, and
safety-leadership network with the
22 HAZOP Leadership and international process
Management 28– pressure relief safety community.
Modules start 1 oct 28 September– Presentations will be
22 September, 1 October, Online available on-demand for
14:00–17:00 BST, Online This course provides a practical 30 days after the live
Learn how to effectively lead, approach to all of the key steps conference.
manage and organise a HAZOP needed to design and maintain www.icheme.org/
study team. relief systems. hazards30
www.icheme.org/live-hazop www.cvent.com/d/0nqnzf
newdiary951 DG.indd 63 19/08/2020 15:56

RESIDuE the STUFF LEFT OVER AT THE END
An eye watering stud

y
Indestructible
NORM ALLY, resear
chers don’t want
was precisely the aim their work to end
in tears, but this
of a team of scient
squid-bots
They wanted to see ists from Brazil an
if bird and reptile d Saudi Arabia.
the aim of under tears are similar to
standing the evolut human tears with
ion of tears in
sure to plan different species an
bots are making d potentially provid
THOSE pesk y ro vit able robot into treating ophtha e insight
ity for the ine lmic diseases.
for every possibil nd a way to Up until now, a
w they have fou limited number of
takeover, and no species have had the
ctible. ir tears studied,
become indestru ically made which the resear
Soft rob ots, which are typ chers thought
silicone and was a cry ing shame
plastics such as . They then
from sy nthetic mage. Self- set their sights on
sily sustain da studying
rubber, can ea s can take seven species of
of these material birds and
healing versions e rob ot never reptiles. There wa
e damage and th s no fowl
days to repair th w. By using play involved in col
ength – until no lecting
regains its full str ts ha ve made the animals’ tea
in squid, scien tis rs, as
a protein found fu ll str en gth the study was
can return to its only
a material that the protein performed on cap
e scientists used
once damaged. Th has highly animals during
tive
biopolymer that their
to sy nthesise a alternating
linking sections routine check-ups.
The
organised cross- the material
sections. When researchers found
with amorphous that
ca n be heated all tear types, inc
tured, or cut, it
is scratched, punc g conditions
lud-
c manufacturin ing human, contai
to 50 C to mimi ned
o
s as good as ne w. similar amounts of

and then become elec-
ke pneu-
The ne w ma ter ial was used to ma trolytes, althoug
h the
rily prone
which are ordina crystallisation
matic actuators ot was able
pattern
ft robotics. A rob formed when the
to puncture in so ow n weight,
tears
3,000 times its dried out were quite
to lift an object tched the
different,
healing, and ma particularly for aqu
before and after ac tua tors.
atic animals.
te-of-the-art They also found tha
performance of sta for .
t owl and sea
lot to answ er turtle tears have hig
The squid have a her levels
of urea and protei
n. The study
iá
found some intere A r ia nne P. Or
sting results, but
it is
still a far cry from
a full understanding
hope to do future res of tears, so the scient
earch on additiona ists
l species.
Pictured: A bird’s eye
view: collecting tears
for the study
residue951 DG xxTWEAKed.indd 64 19/08/2020 17:07

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SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer

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■ COVID-19 and Process Safety Management
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Celebratin
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Hazards30 Virtual FP AD.indd 1 19/08/2020 15:26

TH Echemicalengineer: Seeking Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

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TH Echemicalengineer: Seeking Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

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september 2020 Issue 951

The Chemical Engineer

seeking equality, diversity & inclusion

cover951v4 DG.indd 1 19/08/2020 16:00

ABB Technical Training Courses

3 Editor’s comment 20 equality, diversity 52 vendor viewpoint

8 News: in depth 24 vaccines Southern Regional Ambassador for

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 1

contentstofill DG.indd 1 19/08/2020 16:35

Hazard Identification Techniques HAZOP Leadership & Management

Online training FP AD SEP.indd 2 19/08/2020 15:28

Engage with ED&I

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 3

catalyst951 DG.indd 3 19/08/2020 16:59

mix. Renewable electricity generation increased by 11% despite the

Renewables beat fossil fuels: EU-27 electricity generation

In 2014, 11,000 kg of methyl COAL

US$3.1m by the Environmental Source: Ember Climate

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 4

numbers951 DG.indd 4 19/08/2020 16:38

Funding boost for fossil fuels as part

600m t of plastic in oceans by 2040

of ocean to the oceans by 7% by 2040. The report also identifies eight

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 5

numbers951 DG.indd 5 19/08/2020 16:38

solutions, and carbon capture and storage.

€1bn cleantech fund ing, and projects will be evaluated based

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 6

NIB951 DG.indd 6 19/08/2020 16:08

assets so it can focus on core operations,

Ineos launches new cation for Chemical Engineers. With

oxygen operation and began producing its own hand sanitiser

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 7

NIB951 DG.indd 7 19/08/2020 16:08

risk & safety

Ammonium nitrate explosion

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 8

NID1 DG.indd 8 19/08/2020 16:12

to the attention of “several commit- which increased the risk of an explosion

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 9

NID1 DG.indd 9 19/08/2020 16:12

risk & safety

GTR launches first global standard

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 10

NID2 DG xxTWEAKed.indd 10 19/08/2020 16:14

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 11

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BP outlines net zero ambitions

Jon Lyall / Shutterstock.com

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 12

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UK invests £100m to accelerate

Diosynth Biotechnologies’ facilities in

SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 13

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SEPTEMBER 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 14

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Report says nuclear vital for UK net zero plans

risk & safety